


Miracle

by DKSculder



Category: The X-Files
Genre: Angst, F/M, Family, MSR
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-08
Updated: 2016-10-09
Packaged: 2018-08-13 22:07:54
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 47,638
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7987891
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DKSculder/pseuds/DKSculder
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Scully finds out there's one more vial of ova, her real last chance. The problem is, she took the transfer and moved to Salt Lake City after the x-files was shut down. Will she tell Mulder?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

"We are extremely sorry to be contacting you like this, we understand that it's been several months since the last attempt. We honestly don't know how it was misplaced, but when we found it, we contacted you right away." The nurse rambled on her apologies. Scully actually felt bad for her, having to make this phone call, knowing what she herself had been through. It was not a call that she expected to receive, since it had been months since she left that life in DC behind. 

After the x-files went up in flames, and they ordered her transfer to Salt Lake City, Utah, Scully found it the best opportunity. The only caution that she held on accepting the change of scenery, was leaving Mulder behind. The separation was hard on the both of them, and the daily phone calls had now diminished to casual pleasantries, once a month or so. 

She let out the breath she didn't realize she was holding, and managed to mumble words into the phone, to let the nurse know she was still listening to her rambling on. She didn't know how to take this information, or what to do with it. She had given up that hope so long ago that she wouldn't be able to conceive a child. After the failed attempts, she had come to an acceptance. This was another chance.

"...want to come for a consult?" The nurse asked again.

"I'm sorry, what? I don't think I - I didn't catch what you said." Scully asked, clearly disengaged from the conversation.

"It's okay, I know this information can be rather overwhelming. The doctor wants to know if you would like to come in for a consult, to try an attempt with the last vial. We would just need to set up an appointment, if this is something you would like to do." 

"I - I don't live in the area anymore. I - uh..." Scully stammered out. Truth was, she didn't know if she wanted this. When she had walked away from that life, she had left everything behind her. She wanted to forget about the pain she endured, and the darkness that seemed to lurk around every corner of her life. Moving to a completely different part of the country seemed like the most opportune decision for a new start. This would pull her right back to the very place that she tried so hard to run away from. It could also potentially give her the one thing she desired most. 

"We could always arrange for a later date, so you would have time to make your way here. Although, I'm sure you know this, but the sooner we can get started the better. Since the embryo was already fertilized with the others, it has just remained frozen." The nurse said almost sympathetically. 

Scully didn't know how to process any of this information. She now had a chance, just one final chance, to carry a child. She didn't know if she could emotionally handle the risks of it not working like the others, but she would chastise herself more for not even attempting it. 

"Yeah, uh, I should be able to take some leave next week. Can we schedule for a mid week appointment?" She answered, not really recognizing the voice or words coming out of her mouth. 

"Of course, we'll set the date. We will see you then." 

The final click of the phone set in the reality of the situation for Scully. She didn't know what this turn of events would lead to, but she knew that she had some decisions to make. She smiled to herself at the thought of having just one more chance. She never did give up on her miracle. 

Instantly following that thought, she paled and the actual reality of the full situation began to tug at her nerves. This decision didn't just involve her, there were two parts to this equation. Mulder. She would have to tell him, or would she? When she first asked him to be the sperm donor, they hadn't really discussed the formalities of what that meant. As she went through her treatments and attempts, there was an ambiguous cloud of unknown hanging above them. She never thought that he would want to be as involved in the raising of the child as she was, but then again, he was always there for her after her attempts failed. She could see the sorrow in his eyes every time she told him it didn't work, she just never knew if it was for her, or he was feeling the pain of a personal loss as well. 

She shook herself from these thoughts, she didn't need to tell him anything she wasn't sure of. She had decided that she was going to see the doctor, find out her options, and then move forward from there. She could spare at least one of them the pain of this process. 

* * *

Scully managed to take half of the following week off, and nervously made her way back to DC. She would be staying with her mom through the weekend, since she hadn't seen her since she left for her new life several months ago. Her mother was thrilled to hear about the visit, and more than accommodating. Maggie Scully knew there was a specific reason, more than just a visit, that her daughter was returning, but she wouldn't pry until she was here. 

When Scully arrived, her mother had picked her up from the airport and they made their way to one of their favorite restaurants for lunch. She could tell her mother had questions, she could see it in her eyes, but she wasn't ready for a full fledged interrogation. She wanted to have her own answers first. 

They made their way to the tiny cafe, and situated themselves at a table. Her mother glanced at her over her tea cup as she took a sip, and Scully could see the quizzical gleam in her mother's eyes. She let out a heavy sigh, she should have known this wasn't going to be easy.

"How's Salt Lake City?" Her mother asked innocently enough, but Scully knew it was only the beginning. 

"It's great. Definitely a weather change, but I've adjusted rather nicely. Not as busy as it was here, but I don't mind the change of pace either." She smiled at her mother, wishing, hoping for the conversation to stay this simple. 

"I'm happy that you've managed to adjust, I'll have to visit sometime soon. Speaking of visiting, what brings you back for such an extended weekend?" 

Scully almost chuckled to herself at how smooth her mother thought she was being. She had anticipated this, she just didn't know if she was ready to speak about it out loud. 

"I - uh, I got a phone call last week. Um, there's some things I need to handle here. Just some loose ends to tie up. I figured I'd squeeze in a visit while I was out here, and extended through the weekend." She would have smiled at her mother if she didn't notice the shock horror that flashed over her face. She panicked and the anxiety began to build inside of her. "Mom? What's wrong?" 

"I'm fine, Dana." Scully winced at the all too familiar words. This must have been how Mulder felt. "I just, I thought you leaving would get you away from the mess you worked in here. To know that you're coming right back to it, I just..." 

"No, Mom, no. I didn't come back for the work, I - there's..." She paused and took a deep breath. Might as well tell someone, maybe she wouldn't have to do this alone. "My fertility doctor called and said that there was one more vial, that had been misplaced. They said that it's been stored safely, and if I wanted to, we could try one more attempt. That's - that's why I'm here. I have a consult with them tomorrow morning to figure out my options." 

"Oh honey, that's, great news isn't it?" Maggie was holding back emotions, for her daughter's benefit. She didn't want Dana to be as heartbroken as she was before if this didn't work out again. She tried to gage on her daughter's feelings about the situation, but she received nothing. 

"Yeah, I think so. It'll be hard adjusting to that as well, in Salt Lake, but if it works out, it will be wonderful." 

"You would stay out there? What about Fox? You don't have anyone out there, honey. You could move back here, and stay with me for a while so that I can help you, so that Fox can help you." 

"Uh, he - he doesn't know about this yet. I haven't really talked to him much, since I moved. We tried to keep contact, but it just became difficult with our workloads and the time difference. I, Mom, I don't know if I would even tell him if it did work." She said exasperated. She had been avoiding the Mulder situation and involvement, and now that it was out there, she didn't know how to feel.

"Dana, you have to tell him. It would be his child, too." 

"Yes, but when he originally agreed, he signed as a sperm donor. There was never really a discussion about his involvement, and he never implied that he wanted anything more. This is all happening rather fast, I'll think about it more once I have a definitive answer, okay?" 

"Fine. But promise me, you will think about moving back so that I can at least help you. I don't doubt that you can do it on your own, but I'd like to at least give you that option." Maggie said warmly, grasping her daughter's hands within her own for comfort.

"Thank you. I might not even have to worry about anything, this could still fail." Scully practically scoffed.

"You have to pray that you will have what God intended, don't give up on that faith." Her mother patted her hands and they resumed their lunch, exchanging more simple pleasantries. 

* * *

The following day, Scully made her way to the doctor's office for her appointment. The nervous energy was bound up inside of her, clouding the hopeful expectations she had going into this consult. She didn't know what to expect, or if she would even have the option to have this chance. She never imagined she would be back to see her fertility doctor, and discuss conceiving a child. As she waited, the thoughts of her doing the right thing began to run through her mind. She never wanted to disconnect from Mulder as much as she had, but they had drifted so far apart. She had contemplated calling him while she was in town, but didn't know if she could handle seeing him again. 

She was broken from her reverie as the nurse called her in. She drew her blood, and created the samples to test where Scully's natural hormones were. Coming off of the hormone treatment had been a hard transition, her body had taken a toll, and leaving just added to the emotional distress she was already facing. 

A short while later, the doctor came in, smiling a timid smile, almost as if she was ashamed of the current predicament. 

"Dana, it's so nice to see you again. How have you been?" Dr. Mendoza asked genuinely. She had switched fertility doctor's after the first two failed attempts. She wanted a second, or third, opinion. She had been through so much, that she was just looking for someone to hopefully give her the answer that she was unknowingly seeking. 

"I've been great. I, uh, moved several months ago to Salt Lake City. It's been a nice transition, a slowing of pace for me." Scully answered almost solemnly. 

"Sounds like you've had to make some adjustments. That's good though, given that this works. I'm not going to beat around the bush with you, Dana. There is only one embryo to implant, and we didn't even think we had that. We checked, and it's very viable. You obviously haven't been undergoing any proper hormone treatment, but your current levels aren't too far off where we would want them to be for this procedure. You have a few options, if you want to hear them." 

"I - I do. I honestly didn't think I would have this opportunity again, and I would chastise myself more without even trying. So what are my options?" 

"Since your body cycle is where we need it to be, we can give you the medication to prep your body to handle the embryo. It's been kept frozen, so after 3-6 days we can implant. Once it's implanted, I'll give you medication to maintain your estrogen levels, and we would have to test about two weeks following for signs of pregnancy." 

"I have to fly back on Sunday, I only made it a long weekend, to see what my options even were. I might be able to extend until Monday." 

"Monday would be best, if that's possible. If we start you on the medication today, we can implant on Saturday. That would be the third day, and we are generally closed, but given the situation, I would make an exception for you."

"Thank you. I - I want to get started, then." Scully answered in almost a whisper. She honestly wasn't sure what she was expecting, coming here today, but everything was sounding so hopeful. She knew the chances of impregnating on one embryo were slim, but Dr. Mendoza seemed to have enough hope for the both of them. 

After she was given her prescription, she made her way to one of her favorite spots, the Reflecting Pool. She sat on a familiar bench, and basked in the scenery. She never realized how much she truly missed this place, there was always so much darkness shadowing over its natural beauty. She pondered on her mother's suggestion, but didn't know if she could handle moving back. She had gone through so many personal battles to acclimate to her new surroundings, she felt that coming back to where she started would be giant leaps backwards. 

Scully was so lost in her thoughts that she hadn't realized how busy the area had gotten for lunch time. She began to gather her things and head back to her mom's house when a familiar voice stopped her. 

"Scully...Dana, what are you doing back here? How have you been?" Walter Skinner asked, clearly surprised to see her back in DC.

"Sir, I - uh, was just visiting my mother. I'm doing great, I've adjusted nicely to Salt Lake City, and yourself?" She asked passively. She wasn't planning on running into anyone she knew on her short trip back, but she should have known that's not how things worked out for her. 

"I'm great, just been busy with work. Do - does Mulder know you're in town?" He asked, trying to hide the worry in his voice. She had caught on the minute Mulder's name left his mouth.

"It's a quick trip. He doesn't know I'm here. Why, is everything okay, Sir?" She asked as her eyebrow began to raise. It never mattered that he was her superior, she always won a glaring contest. 

"Yeah, everything's fine. He, uh, has just been in a rut lately. Personally speaking. Professionally, he's the star of the Violent Crimes Section again, but I think it's taking a toll on him. There's - uh, no one really to reign him in when he needs it the most. I think his mind has taken a beating, but he refuses to take a break. I just thought, catching up with an old friend might do him some good." He said almost in one breath. The worry he felt for Mulder was so clearly evident on his face. 

"I will try to reach out with him while I'm here, if I get the chance. It was nice catching up with you, Sir. I should be on my way." Scully said with a small smile trying to mask the mixed emotions she knew were occupying her face. She made a brisk exit, and slumped in her mother's car that she had borrowed for the day. 

She was overwhelmed with everything that had happened in the past week. As strong of an appearance as she tried to maintain, she was crumbling inside. She let a tear escape her eye as she mulled over the strange twist of events. On instinct, she wanted to call Mulder and make sure that he was okay, given the insight that Skinner had provided. Truth is, she was terrified that her contacting him would send him spinning down a darker spiral.

Their last exchange was brief, and rather impersonal. It had appeared to her that they had just drifted apart, and he had no interest in speaking with her on the level that they had once been connected. She groused at the thought that he was handling a difficult case, and didn't want to involve her. She had been so selfish, thinking he just simply didn't care anymore. The tears began to flow freely, as she realized she could have helped him. She could have still been the person to bring him back when he desperately needed it. He was too proud to ask, and she was too stubborn to realize it wasn't about her at all. She wanted to make things right, but she knew that if the procedure worked, it would only further complicate things down the road. She was at a complete loss as how to proceed. 

Scully finally made it back to her mother's house, and Maggie could instantly sense that something had happened. Her first instinct said that it had to do with the doctor's appointment, so she just engulfed her daughter into a tight embrace. 

"Honey, what happened?" Maggie asked gently. 

"I think the hormones are already getting the best of me, as implausible as that is." Scully said in a light chuckle.

"So the doctor's appointment went well?" 

"As well as it could have, given the situation. I'm taking medication to prep my body for the implantation of the embryo, and that'll happen on Saturday. If you're not busy, I would need you to drive me. She wants me to rest on Sunday, and then I'll fly back early Monday morning, so I'm not missing too much work." She said through her sniffles of her dried up tears.

"So then what's wrong? Don't tell me it's nothing, Dana." Her mother said sternly, but with genuine concern.

"I - uh, ran into someone from work, from work here. He said, that Mulder isn't doing too good, personally. It made me consider seeing him while I'm here, but-" She paused, trying to find the right words to satisfy her mother's worried expression. "I don't want to cause more pain in his life, add stress that he doesn't need. I think us disconnecting was hard on him, but I don't want to further complicate things either." She said cautiously. She wasn't ready to have this conversation. 

"Honey, if this treatment works, you'll have to tell him. He would be the child's father, you can't just ignore that fact."

"I'm not ignoring it, Mom. I just don't want to make any preemptive decisions right now. I'll cross that bridge if I come to it. Neither of us need that added stress hanging above us." Scully said, slightly annoyed. She knew her mother meant well, and that she loved Mulder as if he was already part of the family, but she didn't need to currently think about that. She also prayed that her mother didn't go behind her back and meddle for her.

* * *

Scully spent the rest of the week visiting with her mother, and avoiding the bigger issue at hand. She figured suppressing her emotions would be the best way to not add stress to her mind, and her body. Saturday had approached too quickly, and she managed to stay calm the entire ride to the office. Her mother drove her, as promised, and could sense that she was trying to hide her nervous energy. When they reached the doctor's office, Scully was taken back right away, given that they were closed. Before she made her way to the room, Maggie gave her a gentle hug, letting her know everything was going to be okay. 

The procedure itself was rather quick, and she was told to lay there for a while longer. The doctor gave her the hormone medication to maintain, and wished her luck. They had discussed whether Scully would return in two weeks for the ultimate results, or whether she would try to find a doctor in Salt Lake City. Over the course of her visit, Scully had questioned whether she would stay in Salt Lake City at all. 

"I need to make some arrangements, but I will plan to have the results read here." She answered with finality in her voice. Her decision was made.

"Perfect, I look forward to seeing you then." Dr. Mendoza answered a smile as she made her exit. 

Scully hadn't really made any final plans, but she knew she wouldn't be able to raise a child in an unfamiliar place, with no one really around. She wouldn't do it if she had ulterior options. She had also pondered on how much she truly missed DC. It wasn't a hard decision to make, moving back, even if the embryo didn't take. She wanted to come home, or as much of a home as she had ever felt she had. 

Regardless of the darkness of her past that clouded this place, it was her home. The people she loved were here, and with them, she could get through anything. They quietly made their way back to her mother's house, she had a lot of decisions to make. 

* * *

Two weeks had come and past, and she knew it was time for her to make her way back to DC. Scully had her appointment already set up for the following day after her arrival. She also had a meeting set up with Georgetown Medical for later that afternoon. She was moving back home, regardless of the outcome. She knew that this is where she needed to be. 

She still hadn't contacted Mulder. She was too weary about involving him before there was anything to involve him in. She also had finalized her decision just last week, and needed to come to these conclusions on her own. She didn't want anyone wagering her either way. Her mother was more than ecstatic to have her back, since she would be staying with her for a while. 

When it came time for the doctor's appointment, she had expressed to her mother that she wanted to go alone. She knew if it was a dreadful outcome, she would want to handle it on her own, before having to face the pitiful eyes of others. She could feel her nerves working in overdrive, and tried to control her emotions. She got situated in the gown she was given, and blood tests were taken. 

When the doctor entered, she had a shy smile on her face. Scully couldn't decipher whether she was trying to be consoling, or she was excited about the results. The quick check up turned into an hour long appointment, and Scully's thoughts were flying through her head sporadically. 

She was running right on time for her meeting with Georgetown, and had to compose herself to nail this position. She spoke with the attending, and he was more than excited to have her join their research team. Her background in pathology was the perfect addition to their small group, and she would still be able to help in the morgue if need be. Scully was more than happy to hear that she would be working semi-regular hours, and it would be a lighter case load than she would have even been working back in Salt Lake City.

"You definitely match all the credentials that we are looking for, so we would love to bring you on with us." Dr. Studden exclaimed. He was a middle-aged man who clearly was enthralled with the work he conducted. 

"I would love to accept, I do just need to disclose one thing. It won't affect my work in any way, and the research project end date is before there would be any complications for me, but..." She paused and a slow smile crept across her face, as it was the first time she said it out loud, to a stranger nonetheless. "I'm pregnant." 


	2. Chapter 2

Scully had been back in DC and working steadily for 3 months. She had wholeheartedly thrown herself into the research project, that the time passed quickly. She was still currently staying with her mother, which wasn't as bad as she had first anticipated. She actually liked the company, she felt so lonely in Salt Lake City.

The pregnancy was progressing nicely, and her regular checkups assured her that everything was fine with the baby. Once she passed her first trimester, her doubts began to dissipate. 

She still hadn't spoken to Mulder, as much as her mother persisted her to, she just wasn't ready. She didn't know how to approach the subject, and wasn't sure if she was emotionally ready for his reaction. She knew it wasn't fair to keep him in the dark, given that he played a big part in this situation, but she was doing what she thought was best for her. 

Since the research had hit a lull, she began to pick up more shifts in the morgue. As promised to her mother, she didn't put in too many hours slicing and dicing, and she stayed off her feet a little more. Since she was the lead morgue attending, that also meant she worked on some victims that came through from the FBI. The first case that she had assisted on brought back memories she wasn't sure she was ready to face. She knew it was a possibility, and shook her lost thoughts and apprehensions. This rare occasion allowed her to do the work she once loved, at her own measure. Plus, there weren't too many agents that she recognized while working cases, though she never really interacted with anyone. She was only ever really down in the basement with Mulder. 

Scully was glad to finally wrap up a busy week, and began to gather her things to head home. Just as she was making her way to her office, she heard the commotion coming through the emergency room. She curiously made her way to the nurses station to find out what what happening. 

"What the hell is that all about?" She asked quizzically. 

"Huge explosion, FBI. From what I heard, they were working to catch a serial rapist and he holed himself up in an abandoned building with the last girl he kidnapped. The minute they entered to get the guy, he blew the place to bits. You might be seeing some of these people in the morgue. It doesn't look too good. I think they brought in 6 agents." The nurse said, amazed by the drama happening around her. 

"Yeah, one has already been declared dead, 2 critical, the other 3 were further behind so they'll be alright, physically." Another nurse chimed in. 

Scully digested the scene before her, she had been here too many times. He heart dropped to think she might have known some of the agents involved in the explosion. Her feelings sank further and her mind began to whirl when she spotted Skinner walking through the entrance with authority, confirming her fears. 

He was speaking with some of the nurses and doctors handling the injuries. As she cautiously approached she could hear him explaining as much of the incident as he knew. From what she could tell, the agents inside would be in for a long recovery, if they even survived. 

"Uh, Skinner, Sir." She said timidly, afraid to ask the questions she didn't necessarily want the answers to.

"Scully, what are you doing here? Did they call you?" He asked, exasperated by the buzz happening around him.

"No, I'm back, working here now. I've been back for about 3 months. Why would they have call-" Her brow became unfurrowed and her eyes grew wide. There would only be one reason anyone would have called her in this instance. "Where is he? What the hell happened?!" She didn't even need to clarify who the 'he' was she was asking about, they both knew. The panic was beginning to set in. 

He pulled her over to the side, and tried to get her to calm down. She was growing angry and impatient at not having answers. This was her worst nightmare coming true, all over again. 

"He -" Skinner sighed, trying to find the right words to keep her calm. "He was part of the group that was inside the building. He was just entering the door when the explosion went off. He was the least injured of the 3 that they were most concerned about. Since you work here, I'm sure you can find out more about his condition than I can at the moment." 

She tried to grasp the words that he was saying, but all she could focus on was the fact that Mulder was injured, severely. She held back the tears of regret she could feel forming in her eyes, now was not the time to deal with those emotions. She just needed to focus on helping him, but she had no idea where to even start. She had removed herself from these situations for this exact reason. 

She noticed that one of the trauma doctor's was speaking with an officer who pointed in their direction. 

"Are you Walter Skinner?" Dr. Harris asked. 

"Yes, I am. What can I do for you?" Skinner answered, clear exhaustion reaching his voice.

"I'm Dr. Julian Harris, I am the head surgeon working on one of your agents, uh a Mr. Fox Mulder. His next of kin had been removed recently, but he hadn't listed a replacement. Would you be the one to speak to about his current state, or know who we can contact?" 

Skinner glanced down at Scully, and noticed the small tear escape her eye. He didn't know much about their dwindled relationship, but he never expected the separation to be this drastic. He could sense that she wanted to take over, as she had done so many times before. 

"Actually, that would be Dr. Scully here. She was his next of kin previously stated, there must have been an error on the removal of her name. She could answer any questions you have in regards to Agent Mulder." 

Scully's head shot up in shock, surprised as to what Skinner was doing. She never knew that Mulder had removed her name as next of kin, that small tidbit stabbed at her heart, but she knew it was her own fault. This was her chance to make things right. She just gave Skinner a small smile of a silent thanks, and turned her attention back to Dr. Harris. 

"Perfect. Dr. Scully, he took a hard blow. He had 3 broken ribs, some internal bleeding, and definite head trauma. We've controlled the bleeding, patched him up as much as possible, and treated some of the burns on his arms, but the head trauma is what we are most concerned about. He's in recovery right now, but we won't know more until he wakes up." 

"I want to see his charts and scans. I'll find out with the nurses what room he's in, and check on him myself as well. Thank you." She said, managing to compose herself into the Dr. Scully persona she's been all too familiar with. 

"Doctor, I assure you that my team here can handle his recovery with the best care. I'm rather new to this hospital, but I know he's in the best hands here." 

"Yes, he is. I can tell you that because I've been the lead medical examiner here for the past 3 months. Not to mention part of the elite team that's currently working on the research project that this hospital has put it's heart and soul into. No offense, but I'm not only his next of kin, I've been his personal doctor for the past 5 years. I appreciate all that you've done, and I don't doubt your abilities, but I will be overseeing his direct care from this point forward." She said, leaving no room for questioning.

Dr. Harris glanced towards Skinner, and he responded with a look that said he shouldn't challenge her. Harris let out a heavy sigh and conceded to her plan of action. He knew he wouldn't win this one. 

Scully thanked Skinner, and promised that she would follow up with any status changes on Mulder. She slowly made her way back to the nurses station to get the information on him that she had requested. They handed them over, speculation in their eyes on why she took such a strong interest on this man in particular. She ignored their questioning stares, and nervously made her way to his room. 

She opened the door with a shaky hand, and her eyes bestowed upon Mulder for the first time in months. She never imagined that their first reacquaintance would be with him in a hospital bed, but then again, would it have been any other way with them? She approached his bedside and went to gently take hold of his unbandaged hand. The hot tears began to flow from her eyes, running down her cheek, at the sight before her. 

Making herself comfortable in the chair that lay beside the bed, never letting go of his hand, she began to silently pray. She knew Mulder didn't believe in her faith, but she was willing to try anything to save him from this horrible fate. When she finished mentally saying her private wishes, she knew she needed to call her mother. It wasn't a phone call she ever liked making, but she knew her mother would understand, she always had before. 

"Mom, hey, it's me." She said in a small voice.

"Hi honey, you running a little late tonight? You're usually home by now." She answered, feigning innocence of knowing something was wrong. She could always tell, but she knew if she was calling, there was a reason. 

"I - I think I'm staying at the hospital tonight. Don't worry, I'm not overworking, there's just-" The tears began to reach her eyes again, and she tried to suppress them. "Mom, Mulder was involved in an accident. He, uh, the agents were all brought here and, I'm staying with him tonight." 

"Dana, what happened? Is he okay?" 

"Oh Mom, he hasn't woken up, they don't know if he will. He was thrown pretty hard from the blast, and they were able to treat his injuries, but they don't know the extent of his head trauma. I'm so worried." 

"I'm coming to see you. Don't argue with me, I'll be there soon." With that, Maggie disconnected the call, leaving no room for negotiations. 

Scully was secretly relieved that her mother was coming to be by her side. She had been so accustomed to having her there for her closely these past few months, this was something else she needed her help getting through. She knew she never had to be alone, but she never gave Mulder the chance to prove himself in the baby situation, and now she didn't know if that choice had been permanently taken away from him. 

When Maggie arrived to the hospital, she was escorted directly back to Mulder's room. Scully had already discussed with the nurses to bring her back as soon as she arrived, raising their suspicions about the mystery man. She entered the room and the sight before her was something she became all too familiar with. Scully had her head resting slightly on the bed, still holding Mulder's hand. 

She gently shook her daughter's shoulder to rouse her from her sleep, and smiled a warm smile of reassurance. Scully immediately jumped into her mother's embrace, and let the tears fall that she kept trying so desperately to hold back. 

"How's he doing?" Maggie asked quietly. 

"Nothing's changed. He's stable, but they said if he doesn't wake up tomorrow, they can't predict when or if he will." She tried to respond as calmly as possible, she knew her mother wasn't buying into the facade.

"I know you're worried about him, but you need to rest, too. For you and the baby. Have, had you talked to him at all before this?" 

"No..." Scully's voice faded out. "Mom I feel so guilty. I completely abandoned him, and now this is how I'm coming back into his life. I treated him unfairly, and I might not have the chance to amend that." 

"Honey, I know you have your reservations about your relationship with him, but you need to be strong for the both of you. For all three of you." Maggie said, glancing down at Scully's small stomach. "Being here by his side is the best place for you to be. But you also need to rest." 

"I'll sleep in the lounge, I promise I'll rest, I just don't want to be too far right now." 

"Fine, I'll accept that. I brought you some dinner, please try to eat something. I'm going to leave you alone now, I just wanted to check in. Call me if anything changes, I'll be back tomorrow afternoon." She kissed Scully on the forehead and made her exit. 

She made her way back over to Mulder's side, and let out a heavy sigh. Whether he could hear her or not, it was time for some truths.

"Mulder, I need you to wake up. We aren't finished yet. I know I was unfair to you, and somewhere we drifted so far apart, that I think it destroyed us both emotionally. I feel like I abandoned you, as a partner and as a friend, and I will understand if you can't forgive me for that. But I need you by my side for this next adventure." She placed a hand on her stomach, and continued through her tears. "There are some things I need to tell you, and I hope you'll understand why I couldn't sooner. I probably won't admit this when you wake up, but I was wrong in not telling you, I should have listened to my mom. If you tell her I said that, I'll have to kick your ass." She chuckled. "Please wake up, Mulder. I need you. I miss you." 

She kissed his forehead, and lingered there for a few moments. She missed the contact that they once had, and needed to relish in this moment. She reluctantly exited the room and strolled down the cold hospital hallway to the lounge. She ate the dinner her mother brought her, and tried to relax enough to sleep. She knew she couldn't handle this as she had done before, there was a small factor to consider now. She eventually closed her eyes and prayed that when she woke up, Mulder would be awake to greet her. 

The next morning, Scully was nudged awake, and opened her eyes to see Dr. Harris standing there. She instantly began to panic, and startled up in the cot she was sleeping in. 

"What's wrong? Is he okay, what happened?" Her questions bouncing around frantically. 

"Relax, he's fine. I went to check on him already and realized you hadn't been in yet this morning, so I came to find you. He's awake, he-" 

Before Harris could finish the consult on Mulder's condition, Scully had leapt off the cot, and bolted out of the lounge, hastily making her way to the room. When she approached, she could see the nurses just leaving from their late morning rounds. She didn't think about how nervous she would be to see him again, after so many months apart. She let out a silent prayer that she wasn't far enough along in her pregnancy to be showing yet. She took a deep breath, calming her nerves, and entered his room. 

When she first entered, she was still out of his viewpoint, so she took this moment to absorb the scene in front of her. Mulder was laying there groggily, annoyed at being confined to a hospital bed. She glanced at his face, and could see some of the burns and bruises he had received from the event yesterday, but that's not what brought the sadness to her heart. When she looked at his eyes, they seemed so void of emotion, almost like he didn't care that he was so severely injured, almost like he wished he had died in the explosion. 

"Are you just going to stand there all day, I'm sure they'd bring you a chair if you asked nicely." Mulder's voice made her jump. 

"Sorry, I - I was just coming to see if you're okay." Scully said as she walked slowly towards him, stepping out from the shadows she was hiding in. 

"In the physical sense, I've got some more scars to add to my collection, but I'll be alright." 

"And mentally?" She asked softly, as she raised a hand to check the bandages on his head. 

"Well some like to think there's only so many explosions and near death experiences a guy can take, but I think it builds character." He scoffed bitterly as he gently moved her hand away from his face. She closed her eyes in the sadness of the rejection she felt from him denying her touch. 

"Mulder, I'm-" 

"No, Scully. Don't. It's okay, I understand. Thanks for checking on me though, they shouldn't have called you. I already took - they just didn't need to worry you for nothing. Sorry if it messed with your life." 

"Dammit, Mulder. I'm always going to worry about you, you should know that by now. They didn't call me, because you so stubbornly removed me as your next of kin, without even telling me! I was already here, I - I work here. I have for the past few months." 

"Oh yeah, I can really tell how worried you are about me. So worried that you couldn't bother to tell me that you moved back here? Scully, I've been so - no, it doesn't matter. Thanks for checking on me, but I'm tired now, so please leave." 

"You can't be serious, you're just going to kick me out?" 

"Ah, well I learned how to shut people out from the best of them." He said venomously, implying a direct blame at Scully.

"Screw you, Mulder! I'm sorry I even tried to fix whatever happened between us, I'll leave you alone now." She said angrily, stalking out of the room. She slammed the hospital door behind her, catching the attention from the nurses on duty and a few of the doctors nearby. She didn't care about the whispers passing her as she left the hospital, she just wanted to go home.

* * *

Maggie had run her errands that morning, and made her way to the hospital, unknowingly passing Scully heading the opposite direction towards the house. She had promised that she would be back this afternoon to check on them both. She made her way to the room, and was instantly relieved to see that he was awake. She became puzzled when she noticed that Dana wasn't sitting in her usual position in the chair beside him. She let out a heavy sigh when she noticed the pained expression on his face, and realized something must have gone wrong. She stepped further into the room, if they were both going to be stubborn about this, she was going to do what she could to amend what had been broken. 

"Fox! It's good to see you're awake." She said cheerfully, as she entered his room smiling her familiar warm smile.

"Mrs. Scully! What are you doing here?" He responded, genuinely puzzled by her visit. 

"I just came back to check on you, and Dana, as I promised yesterday. Has she been by yet today?" 

"Uh, yeah, I saw her a little while ago. She left already." He said in a solemn whisper. 

"That's interesting, she refused to leave your side yesterday. I had to force her to get some rest for the - just for her own sake. Did something happen when she came by?" She asked, feigning innocence. She knew these two needed a push to get their relationship back on track.

"I guess we just aren't as close as we used to be. We had - a little disagreement. I, uh, kinda kicked her out. I'm sorry, it's just too hard to see her after all these past few months of not talking at all. Why did she come back?" 

"I think that's a conversation you should be having with her. There's some new developments she needs to tell you about, and if you're both being stubborn about this, you'll never get anywhere. I know it's hard on you, it's been hard on her, too. I'm just asking that you give her a chance to explain some things." She pleaded with him. 

"I'll think about it. I know I can't avoid her forever, I'm surprised she hasn't stalked back in here, forcing me to listen, yet." He said with a small chuckle.

Maggie smiled as she found some solace that they may not be too far for a reconciliation. "I'm sure it's only a matter of time. She's been having to take a lighter work load, and I think this took a great amount of her energy." 

"Is she okay? What's wrong? Is it - is the cancer back, is that why she came back home?" Mulder began to panic, and Maggie winced at her choice of words. Though she did find it adorable how worried he still became for her daughter. 

"Fox, calm down. She's fine, she's not sick. She just - it's a conversation you need to have with her. It's not my place to intervene, that much. Please, call her, or at least listen when she does force her way back in here." Maggie smiled and gave his hand a gentle squeeze before leaving the room.

Mulder's mind was spinning, trying to think of every reason that Scully would have came home, and nothing made sense. He knew he needed answers, but was terrified to face her again. He felt vulnerable being stuck in the hospital bed, and didn't want to have any life altering conversations here. 

He became exhausted in his own thoughts, and drifted off to sleep. When he woke up, he saw that familiar redheaded figure he knew so well sitting in the chair beside him. She was working on what looked like a report and didn't notice that he had opened his eyes. He took this moment to revel in the sight of her again, he missed her. 

She finally glanced up and noticed him staring at her. They caught each other's gaze, and a mutual apology was silently exchanged. 

"I know you kicked me out, but I wanted to check on you. I also know you talked to my mother, so I'm sure you have questions." She said, breaking their silence.

"I do, but we don't have to get into that right now, Scully."

"I'm afraid if we don't do it now, we'll keep finding excuses to not have this conversation, Mulder."

"What conversation is there to have? You left, we tried to stay in touch, it didn't work and the distance just got the best of us. It happens to friends all the time." He said passively, trying to choke down his own emotions.

"I'd like to think we were more than friends. We were partners, and I feel like I just abandoned you. I thought I was doing what was best for me at the time, but I realized I only hurt myself more by distancing myself from you. I tried to run away from the heartache I endured here, that we endured, but I think it only caused more. Mulder, I'm so sorry for just leaving. I - I'm going through some new things, life changes, and I need my best friend by my side again. I need my partner." 

"Scully, I will admit, you leaving messed me up pretty bad. You know I've never dealt well with people I love just walking out of my life. I felt a lot of anger towards you in the beginning, but I think I missed you more, and that's what made me even angrier. I was never truly mad at you, more at the situation that forced you to leave. I know I made a lot of stupid mistakes along the way that led us to that point, and I am sorry about that." He went to reach out for her hand before continuing, but noticed that she was sitting shock still, staring at the side of his bed with wide eyes. "Scully?" 

"What did you just say?" She whispered.

"Do I need to repeat the whole thing? I thought it sounded pretty good the first time." 

"Mulder, did you just say you loved me?" 

It was his turn to freeze, replaying the words in his head, realizing it had slipped out. He knew neither of them were ready for that kind of declaration, and chided himself for his sneaky verbal sentiments. 

"I, uh, yeah. Scully, look, I know it's really sudden and I didn't mean to just spring that on you. I thought you knew how I felt, I mean over the years, I hoped you would have figured it out. I'm really bad at this, I'm sorry I said it. No, I'm not sorry I said it, I just mean-" He was stuttering, and didn't hear her whisper his name twice already, trying to get his attention. 

"Mulder!" She finally yelled so that he would stop rambling.

"Sorry, what?" He asked nervously. 

She got up from the chair, and he instantly began to worry that she was just going to leave. He didn't make any sudden movements, or ask any questions while she just stood at the side of his bed, staring down at him. She finally grasped onto his hand, and cradled the other hand behind his neck. She leaned forward and kissed him chastely on the lips. 

When she pulled away, they both let their eyes flutter open, and gazed at each other with so many silent emotions passing through them. They smiled at each other, and Scully's doubts slowly began to scatter. She still was unsure how he would take the baby news, but they were going to do this one day at a time. 

The one thing she knew for sure was that she had her partner back, in every sense, and together they could get through these life changes, she hoped.


	3. Chapter 3

A week had passed, and much to Dr. Harris' persistence to keep Mulder in the hospital longer, he was released to Scully's care. They had played this game with too many doctors. The situation became awkward when they realized he would need more frequent care for a while, and didn't know what arrangements to make, until Maggie spoke up.

"I have the room at my house, he can stay in the guest room downstairs. That way I can check up on him during the day, and Dana can handle things when she's home." She said, with finality in her voice.

"No, Mrs. Scully, I appreciate that, but I wouldn't want to impose. That's a lot to ask. I'll be fine at my place." Mulder answered, knowing already he was going to lose this argument.

"Mulder, Mom's right. That'll be the easiest plan of action. Maybe in a few weeks when your burns heal, you can head back to your apartment, but for now, you'll need the bandages changed often. This will work out best for everyone." Scully said, with the same confidence in her decision as her mother's. He knew it wasn't wise to challenge one Scully woman, let alone two. With a sigh, he conceded, and they discharged him from the hospital. 

The car ride home was rather quiet, each person lost in their own thoughts on the current situation.

Maggie hid a small smile on her face, knowing that confining the two would hopefully bring them closer together again. She didn't know how much information Dana had disclosed to him yet about her life, and didn't want to push. She knew that eventually, with them living in the same house, the truths would become physically evident. 

Scully sat in the back seat, leaving more space for Mulder in the front, trying to calm her nerves. When the proposition to release Mulder had been made, she didn't question the fact that she would be the one taking care of him. She knew they would be spending more time together, now that their rift was somewhat resolved, but wasn't expecting to share her living space so soon. With the recent revelations of his feelings, she knew she had to tell him about the baby promptly. Eventually, she wouldn't be able to hide the small swell of her stomach that was growing bigger each day. She still didn't know how he would take the news, knowing that he loved her, she hoped that was enough to forgive her for not telling him when she started the process.

Mulder sat in the front seat, next to Maggie, noticing the sly smile on her face. He knew that she was happy to have him and Scully speaking again, and now living under the same roof. He was still apprehensive, after letting his feelings slip, that she might go running away from him again. He had his doubts, but when she kissed him, he felt a promise behind it. She didn't return the sentiments, verbally at least, but he had hoped that they were there. He picked up on Scully's nervous energy the entire ride home, and wasn't sure how to decipher it. He thought it was just because things were happening so fast, and wanted to reassure her that they didn't have to jump into anything, but it seemed like there was a bigger issue. He knew they needed to talk about what happened between them more, and where they would go from this point, but he didn't want to push her. He couldn't afford to chance that, not now. 

They all arrived to the house, and there were a few awkward silences in getting everything settled. Scully took the liberty to play hostess and show Mulder to the guest room that he would be staying in. Maggie went straight to the kitchen to begin making dinner, leaving the two alone. 

"The bathroom is connected, there's clean towels in there. The closet has clean sheets, and extra blankets and pillows. If you need help figuring out the TV, let me know." She said passively.

"Is there an extra charge for the continental breakfast, or does that come with the stay?" Mulder asked teasingly. He could tell she was anxious, and was hoping to break the mood.

She chuckled slightly. "Sorry, This is - It's still an adjustment, for everyone. I'm glad you're here though." She let out in a whisper.

He walked towards her, and pulled her in for a gentle hug. He couldn't really handle much more, with fresh burns and a few broken ribs, but he would risk it to let her know that they were okay. He placed a soft kiss on her forehead. "Thank you." 

"Mulder, there's um - some other things we need to talk about, too. I - uh, why don't we go to dinner tomorrow, after your doctor's appointment? Mom's going to drop you off at the hospital, and I was going to bring you home anyway." She knew this was an issue that should be talked about alone, but she felt slightly more secure in thinking he wouldn't overreact too much in a public place. 

"Yeah, sure Scully. Is everything okay? You're starting to worry me a little, with all these secretive things you and your mom keep saying." She could sense the uneasiness in his voice, and needed to reassure him that everything was alright, at least she hoped.

"Everything's just fine. There's just some, new things, happening and I need to tell you about them, if we are going to be - uh, if we're..." She couldn't finish her thoughts, because she had no clue what they were. They had barely repaired their acquaintanceship, and sealed some emotions with a kiss, but there was no discussion as to what either of them wanted. She knew that in order to have that discussion, she would need to tell him everything first, and give him a fair chance to decide. 

"It's okay, we don't need to figure all that out now. Let's just take it slowly, okay?" He sheepishly smiled at her, and she relaxed slightly, knowing he was just as confused about their current relationship status as she was. 

"Okay. I'm going to help Mom finish dinner, I'll let you get settled." She said, before making her exit. 

While Mulder began to get comfortable in his temporary room, Maggie and Scully were preparing dinner. She knew her mother would pry into the situation eventually, but she hadn't expected it to be so soon. She was hoping to have some time to gather her thoughts before being interrogated. 

"Did you two talk?" Maggie asked, accusingly. She knew her daughter well enough to know she was going to need an extra push to open up her deepest secrets, even if it was to the man she loved. 

"We talked about, things. I'm - uh, planning to tell him tomorrow, if everything goes accordingly." She said, taking extra attention in making the salad.

"You can't keep finding excuses to not tell him, Dana. He's going to find out soon enough, whether you tell him or not." 

"I know, I know. I just, I'm not ready to let go of whatever this is right now. We finally got back to a good place in our relationship, I don't want to ruin that just yet." 

"Dana, you can't keep running from your feelings. It's not fair to either of you. You'll have to decide what to do soon, for all of you." She said pointedly, eyeing Scully's stomach with implication. 

"I'll tell him tomorrow." She promised her mother, hoping she could keep the promise to herself. 

They resumed fixing dinner, unaware that Mulder had silently entered the hallway a few minutes prior, just long enough to hear their conversation. 

His immediate thought was that Scully was in a new relationship. Putting their words together, he figured that she just didn't want to tell him yet, because of their recent reconciliation. He assumed that Scully was confused in her feelings, because she didn't think she would have to face Mulder again. They had already disconnected, there would be no reason to tell him. He instantly began to wallow in his own thoughts, and it decreased his mood drastically. He didn't want to overreact, since he wasn't supposed to hear their conversation. He had to suppress his own emotions, and try his hardest to pretend that everything was still _fine_. 

They all made small pleasantries during dinner, engaging in casual conversations. There was a lot for them to catch up on, so it was easy to keep the discussions platonic. What they didn't know was that they all were overly trying to put on a civil facade.

After dinner, Maggie insisted on cleaning up so that they could have more time to get reacquainted. Mulder wasn't sure how much more he could control his sporadic thoughts, so he called it an early night and made his way to his new room. He wasn't sure if he could handle seeing Scully every day, knowing that she was in a new relationship with someone else. He thought that her kiss at the hospital was her returning his sentiments, but he now felt like an idiot for how wrong he had been. He now saw it as a pitiful action, mostly on his part.

Scully could sense that there was a shift in Mulder's attitude during dinner, but didn't know what had changed in the 10 minutes from when she left him to when he made his way into the kitchen. It began to tug at her nerves, and made her even more anxious about telling him her news tomorrow, their news. She finally made her way to bed, and tried to settle in, knowing she had a long day ahead of her. 

* * *

The following day consisted of nervous energy for everyone. Mulder had too much time to let his feelings fester, and was in a foul mood from the morning. He didn't respond much to Scully's conversations, and that made her instantly annoyed. She was happy to be leaving for work for most of the day, and almost didn't want to have to see him later. They were already off to a bad start. 

When the time came for Maggie to drop him off at his appointment, Mulder assured her that everything was fine, despite her persistent asking. She could tell that there was a shift in emotions, and hoped that it wouldn't affect the discussion she knew was planned for later today. She was exasperated at how stubborn these two were, but knew it wasn't her place to say anything, yet. 

Mulder made his way up to the doctor's general office, and was let into the waiting room by one of the nurses. He was in the radiology area, since he needed to have follow up scans to ensure there was nothing more severe happening from his head injury. As he filled out his paperwork, it had a section for him to fill in his emergency contact. As much as he currently resented the idea, he scribbled down Scully's name. Regardless of what he assumed was happening, he knew she was still there to worry about him, as she had assured him. When he went to hand the paperwork back to the nurse, she noticed Scully's name, and a smile grew on her face.

"You know Dr. Scully?" The young nurse asked excitedly. 

"Uh, yeah. She's a friend of mine." Mulder answered passively.

"She's always so nice when she comes in for an occasional ultrasound. Usually pretty quiet, but always very pleasant." 

Mulder's attention was instantly grasped. "Ultrasound?" He asked quizzically. 

"Well yeah, I think she's just nervous, since it's her first baby. Any little hiccup and she's in here just to make sure things are okay. It happens all the time with new moms." She answered sincerely, oblivious to the chaos of the situation she was creating. 

"Oh, right, yeah." He answered, completely void to anything happening around him. He was still shocked by this turn of events. His thoughts were now more scattered than before. He had assumed that she was in a new relationship, but pregnant as well would definitely complicate things further. He was not looking forward to their conversation later tonight. 

He went through his scans and tests, half listening to what the doctor was saying. His mind was riveted over the information he had learned about Scully that nothing else seemed to matter. He hadn't noticed a ring on her finger, but wasn't sure if she just removed it for his benefit. As the doctor dismissed him, he let out a heavy sigh and tried to compose himself before making his way to her office. He didn't want to be the one to completely ruin whatever sliver of a relationship that they had left. 

After getting lost a few times, he finally found her office, and peered in silently. He could see her finishing a report, and rubbing her belly subconsciously. Despite the betrayal he felt, he smiled at how content she seemed. He wanted to be happy for her, happy that she was going to get everything she's wanted, even if it wasn't with him. 

"Scully, I'm starving, you almost ready?" He said loudly as he entered, rubbing his stomach to indirectly point out her action. 

She jumped at his entrance. "Jesus, Mulder! You ever heard of knocking? You scared the hell out of me." She answered pointedly.

"What's the fun in that?" He said as he began to play with the small trinkets in her office. 

"I'm just finishing up, make yourself comfortable, try not to break anything." She said raising an eyebrow at him with a small smirk on her face. She reveled in this moment of being in an office with him again. 

"Scully, your lack of faith in me is heartbreaking." He feigned being emotionally hurt by her warning. He picked up a pencil and began to sharpen it. He caught her gaze, and a sly grin began to grow on his face. 

"Mulder, don't you dare throw that at my ceiling." Before she could finish scolding him, the pencil went flying upward. She shook her head at the guilty expression on his face. She missed this. 

"It slipped." He shrugged and let out a small chuckle. 

When she finally finished, they made their way to a small diner they used to frequent. They situated themselves in a corner booth, and the tension around them began to build. They both knew this was the moment they had been avoiding all day. 

Scully was nervous to tell Mulder about everything. She knew that he loved her, and hoped that was enough to make him want to be part of their lives, hers and the baby's. It was, after all, his child, too. When she thought of what part of their lives meant to her, she knew she meant the whole package. The more she thought about it, the more she admitted to herself that she had only ever imagined her life with Mulder always by her side. There was never a time that she doubted his absence, even when it was a temporary reality. She was never good with expressing her emotions, and knew that she couldn't mess this up, it was too important to not let him in entirely. 

Mulder immediately sensed Scully's weariness about the conversation that needed to be had. He tried to mentally prepare himself for anything she was willing to share with him, but he knew her well enough to know it probably wouldn't be much. She might keep it simple, just give him the basics. He had been working on responses to every scenario he could think of in his head, ones that wouldn't make him seem like a total ass. He wanted to be part of Scully's life, now that she was back, any alternative was simply not an option. He just needed to push his own personal feelings aside to allow her to be happy, with whatever decision she needed to make. He just didn't know if he was able to control his stubborn temper.

"I'm glad we were able to do this tonight, I - uh, I'm glad we're able to talk about, things..." Her voice began to wander off, the nervousness clearly evident. 

"Yeah, me, too. You keep saying you have big things to talk to me about." He said, trying to keep the bitterness out of his voice.

"I do, but if now's not a good time for you, I don't want to overwhelm you. You seem, distracted." She said slightly annoyed, picking up on his tone of voice. 

"No, no, Scully this is your conversation to be had. So what is it?" 

"Well gee with your comforting attitude, let me just pour my heart out." 

Their discussion was already beginning wrong, and both of them were too stubborn to surrender their emotions for it to proceed in a positive light. All of this was because of a giant misunderstanding, but with their current standoff, that conclusion was far from being met. 

"Wouldn't you be pouring your heart out to the wrong person here?" 

"What the hell are you talking about?" She spat, annoyance rising. 

"Let's cut the bullshit, Scully. We aren't going to get anywhere trying to beat around the bush. I heard you talking to your mom in the kitchen last night, and I put the pieces together, so you can save your breath. I'll even cut you some more slack, and tell you that I know about your little bun in the oven. If you were in a relationship, you should have just been honest with me, instead of kissing me and making me believe that we had a chance again. I told you I loved you, yeah not intentionally, but it was there. You should have told me the truth then." His anger got the best of him, and he finished his rant. 

Scully's mind was in a whirlwind as she put all of his words together. There was clearly a disconnect in communication here, and she didn't know where it started. She needed to clear things up before it was too late, again.

"Mulder, no. It's not-" She began to say frantically.

"It's not what I think? I woulda thought you would have came up with something a little more original. Are you flustered because I know the truth now, or because you got caught?" He said, knowing just how to push her buttons. 

The color began to rise to her cheeks as her frustration built inside of her. He was being a tenacious jerk and not even allowing her to explain her side of whatever story he had contracted in his mind. 

"Are you going to let me talk or are you just going to keep accusing me of things? Last time I checked, I was the one who asked to speak with you tonight." She began, and the fury in her voice caused him to wince. "First, even if I was in a relationship, it would be none of your damn business! We hadn't spoken in months, I thought your lack of communication meant you didn't care anymore about what was going on in my life. By the way, I'm not seeing anyone, so let's just clear that up right now."

"So you got knocked up and moved back home? Real cliche there, Scully." He said venomously, intentionally trying to hurt her. He felt the need to retaliate to her statement, even knowing he was making things monumentally worse. 

"Screw you, Mulder! You know what, we are done here. I don't need to tell you anything. I thought that we - just, nevermind." She said trying to fight back the tears forming in her eyes. She knew that the hormones played a role in her strong emotions, but she also never expected this conversation to become so twisted. 

"Yeah, Scully. Nevermind, because you wouldn't tell me how you felt anyway, right? We've been speaking again for what, every day for a little over a week and I had to find out from some random nurse in radiology that you're pregnant? I'm even staying with you right now and you didn't think to disclose that information?! So what happened there huh? Oh let me guess, that's none of my business, too, right?" He finished his outrage and got up to leave the diner. 

She followed him outside, just in time to hear him beginning to order a taxi. She yanked the phone from his hand, and slammed it shut. He began to open his mouth to say something, but the fire he saw burning in her eyes made him stay quiet. He had made Scully mad before, but he's never seen this kind of raw passion emitting through her. 

"You want me to tell you how I fucking feel? When I left, I was alone and lost. I thought I still at least had you by my side, but even that slowly dissipated. I was finally starting to adjust out there, but then my fertility doctor called me and turned my life completely upside down. She told me that they had misplaced a vial, and had one more embryo if I wanted to take that chance. I didn't know what to think, and I was terrified! I wanted to call you, but we had hardly even spoken, and what the hell would I have said anyway?! Surprise, there's a chance I could get pregnant and it would be yours. I didn't want to get anyone's hopes up if it didn't work out again, so I just waited until I knew for sure. My mom suggested I move back here, and the more I mulled that idea over the better it sounded. I hated Salt Lake, I didn't have anyone out there, I was lonely. When I came back for the results, I found out I was pregnant. I wish I could share with you how I felt in that moment, since that's what you seem to want me to do, but I honestly didn't know how to feel. I was excited, scared, nervous. The thing that pulled at me the most was whether to even tell you or not. I didn't know how you would react to me just walking back in to your life, baby in tow. We had never discussed it before when I asked you to be the donor, and I became weary of the unknown. It wasn't fair, to keep this from you, and for that I'm sorry, but this was my decision." 

Mulder just stood there and watched as Scully paced and finished her outburst. His mind was running a mile a minute, thoughts bouncing in every direction. He was at a loss for words, and didn't know how to approach the overtly hostile Scully. He couldn't mess this up, not now. The first thing he needed to do was apologize. He knew he was being an idiot, intentionally antagonizing her, but it's the only way he knew how to deal with his own emotions. 

"Scully...I'm so sorry. I-"

"No, Mulder, don't. I - I can't do this anymore right now. I'm exhausted, I'm starving, and I just can't handle this. You're still welcome to stay at my mom's house, but I need to go home alone. I'll understand if you want to stay at your own apartment, too. I'll make sure Mom checks on you tomorrow, if that's the case." She said, walking towards her car, finalizing the sour conversation. 

He knew he needed to fix this, immediately. If he let it fester, Scully would shut him out completely. Although staying at his own place sounded like the safest plan for tonight, he knew it would be harder for her to avoid him if he returned to her mom's. 

He called a taxi, and gave her some time to be alone as he headed to his apartment to grab a few more things. He wasn't planning to leave Maggie's house anytime soon, especially not now. Before heading back, he needed to gather his thoughts on everything that happened tonight. His mind still reeling over the information that Scully had disclosed. She was pregnant, with his child. The final attempt had been the winner. He scolded himself for causing her to feel that he had become so unapproachable over their time apart. Had she really never known how much he cared about her? He realized now that he should have let her see how the failed attempts affected him, instead of shielding his own sorrow for her benefit. 

When he gave himself enough time to calm down and make a plan of action, he grabbed his things and headed to his car. He had a few more stops to make if he was going to get this apology perfect. 

He stopped in at a small store near his apartment that he passed on his daily runs. There was always something that caught his eye in the window and made him smile, but he never had a reason to buy it. Now was the perfect opportunity. After that, he made his way to the grocery store on the way back to Maggie's. He knew that as mad as Scully was, the blow could be slightly softened with her favorite treats. At least he hoped that was still the case, for his sake. He picked up a card and bag with the rest of her apology gift, and just sighed. He knew it wasn't going to make everything okay, but it was a start. 

When he arrived back at the Scully residence, he entered the house anxiously. He figured Scully would lock herself up in her room, and after taking in his surroundings, he knew he was correct. He could hear Mrs. Scully in the kitchen, and almost feared facing her more than Scully. 

"Fox, you're staying here tonight?" She asked with slight surprise in her voice. She didn't seem angry, and that made Mulder relax. 

"I, uh, yeah. If that's still okay. If not I can-" 

"Nonsense, of course it's okay. We wouldn't have offered originally if it wasn't." She said, cutting off his stammering.

"Yeah, well that was before I made a complete ass out of myself." He scoffed.

"Want to talk about it? I just put on some tea before bed." She said warmly. When Dana arrived home in a fury, she could tell the conversation did not go well. Normally she would ask what was wrong, and try to calm her daughter down, but she didn't think there was a chance of that tonight. She was curious to find out what exactly happened, and seeing Mulder as beat down as he looked, she knew he'd be the one to tell her. 

"Uh, sure." He answered cautiously. He had hoped that Scully told her mother enough so that she would be able to help him out on how to proceed in this situation. They both got themselves comfortable at the kitchen table, tea cups in hand. 

"I know you two had a disagreement, but I don't know many details. Dana didn't say much. What happened?" She craftily asked. 

"We, uh, she told me about the pregnancy. Well, I found out from a nurse at the hospital before dinner, and I just, overreacted. I - uh..." He looked at her nervously, and noticed that she reassured him to continue with a warm smile. He let out a heavy sigh of defeat. "I overheard you two talking last night, and I just thought, she was hiding something from me. Someone, I guess. I assumed she was in a relationship, and that tore at me inside. When I found out she was pregnant, I just lost it. I said some things that I now regret." He said wincing at the memory of his own words.

"Did she, um, tell you about the baby?" Maggie asked cautiously, she could tell what Mulder's assumptions were, and didn't know if they had gotten far enough in the conversation to establish the truths of the situation. 

"Yeah, she told me. That thought never even crossed my mind when I played out all the different scenarios of how this happened. I was - I'm still overwhelmed about it." He let out in a small voice.

"In a good or bad way?" 

"In a good way, I think. I just never thought about it, anymore at least. After the failed attempts, it's never been a priority for me. I didn't think I ever wanted kids, until Scully asked me. Even then I was unsure about what role I would play, what involvement she would even want from me. I'm now more weary about that more than ever. I don't want to screw this up." 

"Did you tell her that?" Maggie asked genuinely. She was relieved to know that Mulder wanted this, with Scully. She knew that they would be able to fix this and come back from whatever argument they had this time. 

"I never really got the chance." He said with a small chuckle. Maggie smiled in response, she knew exactly how stubborn her daughter could be. 

"Well, I'm sure you'll get that opportunity soon. Just give her some time to cool off. I'm glad you came back tonight though, and that we got a chance to talk. I'm getting rather tired, so I'm calling it a night." She said, patting his hand and getting up to make her way to bed. 

"Uh, Mrs. Scully, can you, uh-" He paused, and stood, grabbing the wrapped gift bag off the table. "Could you leave this in her room on your way to bed?" He asked shyly. 

"Of course. Good night, Fox." She said taking the bag, curious as to what the contents were. 

"Good night Mrs. Scully." He said, making his way to his own room, hoping that his gift would give Scully some reassurance of where his heart lies.

As she sauntered upstairs, she slowly crept into Scully's room. She realized the bedside lamp was still on, and that her daughter was awake, working on a report. She also noticed the dried tears on her cheeks. 

"Honey, you're still up?" She asked innocently. Maggie knew that working was her daughter's way of distracting herself from dealing with her own emotions. 

"Uh, yeah. I couldn't sleep so I was finishing up some research. Is that for me?" She asked pointing at the gift in her mother's hand.

"It is. Fox brought it for you when he came home." 

"He - he's here?" Scully asked, trying to mask the hopefulness in her voice.

"Well he is staying here, Dana. I know you two had a disagreement, and from how beaten down you both look, I can tell it was bad. Just give him a chance to explain things to you. I think it'll all work itself out." She kissed her daughter's forehead and gently placed the gift next to her on the bed, bidding her a good night. 

Scully stared at the bag for a few moments. She was almost insulted that Mulder thought he could buy her forgiveness, but she knew him well enough to know this was only the ice breaker of his apology. Truth is, as hurtful as the things he said to her were, he deserved to be angry. She had kept him in the dark about the entire situation, despite how deeply he was unknowingly involved. She automatically assumed that he would react negatively, and let her fear take control of the situation. She hid behind the avoidance of the predicament, but if she wanted Mulder in her life, she knew she had to face it head on. 

She picked up the bag, and found a small card inside. On the cover was a picture of a baby rattle, and she shakily flipped it open to read his inscription in the all too familiar handwriting. 

**Scully,**

**I'm happy that you never gave up on your miracle. On _our_ miracle.**

**Mulder**

She re-read it several times, wiping the small tear that escaped her eye away. All the doubts she had on how Mulder felt about the new revelation slowly began to dissolve. She never gave him a chance to explain, she just bombarded him with the truth and ran away from the confrontation. She began to open the rest of the gift, and smiled as she pulled out her favorite sweet treats. Her smile grew as she pulled out the final item in the bag. It was a small, gray stuffed alien doll. She chuckled to herself and shook her head. Only Mulder would find something like this to make the perfect gift. 

She took a deep breath and jumped out of bed. She needed to do this before she lost her confidence. She glanced at herself in the mirror, and smiled at how well you can see her growing bump in her pajama tank top. She rubbed her belly for reassurance of her decision, and made her way to the downstairs guest room. 


	4. Chapter 4

Scully slowly crept downstairs, confidence high, to speak with Mulder. She didn't know what kind of mood he would be in, considering she bombarded him with these new revelations, and left him standing there alone. She winced, thinking about how wrong their conversation went, and hoped that didn't ruin anything for the future. 

She made her way to his door, and noticed that the television light was still peaking through the bottom sliver. She went to knock, but fear slowly began to cloud her mind, and she wanted to retreat. She began to walk away, but knew if she didn't make this effort now, things could only get worse. She opened the door, and peaked her head inside enough to see that the bed was empty.

"Mulder...?" She whispered, stepping further into the room. She glanced around and didn't see him anywhere. She noticed that the bathroom door was closed, and heard movement on the other side. She let out a heavy sigh, and sat down on the bed, waiting. 

When Mulder came out of the bathroom, the sight before him was the last thing he expected to see. Scully was sitting on the end of the bed, both hands resting comfortably on her small bump. He wasn't sure how to approach this. 

"Scully, what - what's wrong? Is everything okay?" He asked cautiously. 

"Uh - yeah, I think so." She said, smiling down at her hands. She took a deep breath, and closed her eyes. She couldn't handle meeting his gaze just yet. "Mulder, I'm really sorry, for everything. Today didn't exactly go as planned, and I didn't really help the situation by just leaving." 

"Scully, it's okay. I didn't make things any easier either. I know I overreacted without having the whole truth, and just jumped into action. Old habits die hard, y'know?" He said as they shared a small chuckle. He sat down next to her gently, and wrapped his arm around her shoulders, pulling her into him. He placed a gentle kiss on her temple, and she relaxed in his embrace. 

"Mulder, I don't - I'm just so confused about everything." She said, finally looking up to catch his eyes. 

"Scully, I meant what I said, we don't have to figure everything out right now. We can take this as slowly as you need. I promise you, I'm not going anywhere. You, this, means to much to me. I'm sorry if you ever doubted that." 

"Thank you. I know that, now. I think I knew it then, I was just too scared to admit it." She said in a whisper.

"Can I - um, ask you something?" Mulder inquired hesitantly. He didn't want to dive into a conversation that neither of them were ready to have, but for them to move forward, he needed to know what Scully was expecting from him. Sure, their relationship was slowly being repaired, but in a few months, there would be another factor to consider. If he were being honest with himself, he didn't know what he wanted for sure until earlier that afternoon. The thought of being a father caused many mixed emotions within him. He had never had to consider the idea, because it was never a reality for him. Even when they went through the treatments before, it still was a fantasy in his mind. 

"Sure, Mulder." Scully answered, stiffening slightly in preparation for what he would ask. 

"What - uh, what do you exactly expect from me, in this, situation?" 

He watched her face fall impassive, and immediately began to worry that his words were being perceived with a negative connotation. He waited a moment, letting the silence settle over them, as he watched her mouth the word 'situation' before answering.

"I don't expect anything from you. This _situation_ was one that I created, it was my decision." She said, with a hint of hurt in her voice, masked by the irritation. 

"Scully, I just meant-" He sighed, this wasn't going well. When had they become so disconnected that they couldn't understand each other anymore? "This decision affects us both. I just, want to know if - I guess I want to know what you want." 

"I don't know." She answered shortly, causing Mulder to wince slightly. Scully knew what she wanted, but didn't want to make Mulder feel obligated to follow her wishes. She also had no real reassurance that they were on the same page of wanting the same thing. She knew that he would do anything for her, but she never wanted to feel his resentment.

"I think you do." He said softly.

"What do _you_ want, Mulder?"  

"I - Scully this is all sudden for me, the circumstances at least. But the feelings are the same as they were when you first asked me to help you with this. I should have probably made them a little more clear then, but I want this. I want all of this. I want to help with the middle of the night feedings, and messy diaper changes. I want to be there to watch the kid grow up. I just never wanted to scare you away, if you didn't want me that involved. I figured I'd always be around, you know, as 'Uncle Spooky' or something, but in my dreams, I wanted more. I just never wanted to ask something of you that you weren't willing to give." 

"Mulder-" She said softly through the tears beginning to sting her eyes. Her attempted interruption went unnoticed. 

"I never knew I wanted that, I never really had the opportunity to even think it could be a reality. When you asked me, I was floored. I knew, probably shortly after our first case, that you were always going to be in my life. In whichever way that meant, I was willing to take. This, I thought this would be the chance to bring us closer together, but when the attempts failed, I don't know. I feel like we lost a connection somewhere along the way. I should have told you how much that affected me, too. I think it made you think I didn't care, but that wasn't the case at all. I'm sorry if I never-" 

She couldn't handle his sentimental rant anymore. She cut off his words with her lips, and once he realized what was happening, he embraced her tighter in his arms. They both took a moment to revel in this moment before he broke the kiss. He brushed his lips on her forehead before resting his own against hers. 

"Sorry, you wouldn't shut up." She said as they both smiled.

"Well that's definitely one tactic I'm okay with you using whenever you need to shut me up again." 

"Mulder, I'm not good at this. Telling you how I feel, or what I want, I - I do want this, too. I don't know how much I can handle, all at once, but I need you to know that I do want you here. I want you as involved as you're willing to be, not just for the baby, but for me, too." She whispered, nerves slowly taking over. 

"I'm not going anywhere." He kissed her forehead again, and they both understood that as a mutual commitment. They sat, entangled in each others arms for a few moments longer. Scully finally began to separate herself from him, and stood up from the bed. She needed to have time to herself to sort out the thoughts and emotions running through her mind. 

"I'm getting tired, I think I'm going to head back to bed. Thank you, for everything." She said as she grasped out to hold his hand before retreating back upstairs. 

They weren't sure what promises were indirectly made, but they both felt comfortable in the current status of their relationship, whatever that may be. They were back to being themselves, the selves they thought they had lost with their distance. 

* * *

As the next two weeks had passed, Mulder was making a full recovery, and the time was coming for him to consider going back to his apartment. He didn't want to leave, given that things were progressing so well with Scully. They hadn't really had any more heart to heart conversations, but there were subtle moments of simple contact that made them both aware of the changes in their relationship. Whether it be a small kiss good night, or holding hands while out at lunch, they found ways to assure themselves that the other was still there regardless of the hardships they had recently faced. 

Mulder had a follow up appointment and was meeting Scully at the hospital for a late lunch after. He arrived a few hours early and made his way to the radiology office. The bubbly nurse greeted him once again. 

"Hello, Mr. Mulder. You're a little early for your appointment, but I can see if we can squeeze you in now." 

"Thanks, that would be great." He smiled and took his seat in the far corner of the waiting room. 

He was perusing pointlessly through a nearby magazine when he heard the familiar click of shoes approach the office. He looked up then, but was sitting in an awkward position to fully see who was standing at the main counter. He thought his mind was playing tricks on him until he heard the familiar voice. 

"Hi, is Dr. Allen available soon for a quick ultrasound?" Scully asked, trying to mask her worry.

"Let me check, but I think she should just be finishing up with a client." The nurse answered assuringly.

"Thank you." Scully answered as she turned and took a seat directly in front of the desk, her back facing Mulder. He wasn't sure if he should approach her at this moment, considering she came here on her own, and didn't let him know if anything was wrong. He felt slightly offended that she was taking whatever the issue was on her own. He thought after their relationship had progressed, he would at least be included on things that involved the baby. 

The nurse came back and led Scully towards a room. He wanted to follow her back, he felt he had the right to. Before he could put his thoughts into his action, his name was the next called. He was situated in a room, and didn't see Scully on his walk back through the hallways. The doctor came in and looked over the most recent scans, as well as checked on his external injuries. 

"Looks like you're pretty much clear for duty again. I wouldn't recommend too much field work for a little while, but you're definitely off required rest. How have you been feeling?" Dr. Harris asked. 

"Yeah, I've been good. Uh, are we almost done here, I'm actually late for something. Sorry to seem rushed." Mulder answered distractedly. He wanted to catch Scully as she was leaving, and ask her why she didn't call him. 

"Everything looks good, so you're free to go. I wouldn't say you need anymore follow up appointments unless you start to feel pain anywhere. You can grab your clearance note in the front with the nurses." Dr. Harris said, releasing Mulder. 

He swiftly made his way to the front, and was waiting for his note when the hallway door opened again. This time, there was no way for avoidance. 

"Thanks again, Lisa. I just had a small pain, and wanted to make sure everything was okay. I already have an appointment with my own doctor next week for my 20 week checkup. Sorry I keep bothering you." Scully said sheepishly to the doctor. 

"No worries, Dana. It's your first, I remember how worried I was over everything with Bryan. Stop by any time." Dr. Allen responded empathetically. 

As Scully thanked the doctor one last time and turned to head back to her office, she was stopped abruptly by running into a figure standing directly behind her. 

"Oh, I'm so sorr- Mulder?!" She said, eyes growing wide. 

"Fancy meeting you here, Scully." He said, trying to mask the bitterness in his voice. They were in a good place, and he didn't want to jeopardize that, but he was hurt by his exclusion. 

"I - uh, I thought your appointment was later this afternoon?" She asked pointedly, trying to take the blame from herself. 

"It was, but I got antsy, so I came in a little early. They were able to squeeze me in. But it looks like I'm not the only one they were able to find an opening for quickly." 

"I just wanted to check on some things. Everything's fine." She said, her tone matching the annoyance in his voice.

"You didn't think to call me, and at least let me know that you thought something was wrong? Scully, when I told you I wanted all of it, I meant every part of it." He said sincerely, gaining the attention of the nurses eavesdropping nearby. 

"Can we not do this here, right now?" She asked, embarrassment rising. 

"That's just typical, avoid the discussion." He said, without thinking. 

"That's not what I meant! I just would rather talk about it in my office, but you know what, you're right. Since I seem to be so good at avoiding things, why break that habit? Don't bother to find me for lunch, I'll see you later." She said in a hushed tone only he could hear. She stalked off, leaving Mulder standing there lost in his own thoughts. 

Since he had a free afternoon, he made his way back to Maggie's house. He knew he was overreacting, but he didn't want to push the situation, so he reluctantly began to pack his things. He was loading his belongings in the car when Maggie pulled up in the driveway. He was hoping to be gone before anyone else got home, hoping to avoid anymore confrontations. 

"Fox, you're leaving?" Maggie asked, genuinely surprised. 

"Uh, yeah. I got the clearance for me to go back to work today, and I was taken off of mandatory rest, so I figured I'd make my way back home." 

"You don't have to, you know. You're more than welcome to stay here as long as you need." She said, trying to wage what happened now.

"I appreciate that, and I really am thankful for you guys putting up with me." 

"Of course, any time. Does Dana know you're leaving already?" She asked, raising her eyebrow. 

"Uh, no. I - I'll tell her later, tonight. We were going to have a late lunch, but she was, busy. So I will talk to her soon." He smiled before loading the last bag in his car. He hugged Maggie, thanked her again, and made his way to his apartment. 

When he arrived, he instantly felt alone. His missed his own place, but being with Scully every day was something he had missed from working together. Now that he had it back, choosing to be away from it caused his mood to plummet. Every time they moved forward, one of them would let their fears cloud their judgement, and they would take giant leaps backwards in their relationship. He thought they both wanted the same thing, but neither of them had made any moves to set that in stone. 

He hadn't told her he loved her since it slipped in the hospital, and he didn't know why. He thought it was the fear of rejection from her, but she assured him that she wanted him around. He mused over the fact that she hadn't said it to him, and that's why he was afraid to say it again. He wasn't sure how to make it clear to Scully that he was fully committed, but then thought that he wasn't the only one in this equation. She needed to put as much effort as he did for this to work. 

After he sulked in his feelings long enough, he realized it was close to time for Scully to be off work. He knew she had pretty much dismissed him earlier, but wanted to take her to dinner to make up for it. When he called her cell phone, it was off and went straight to voicemail. He called the hospital, but they had informed him that she wasn't feeling well and left home earlier. 

The paranoia began to set in as he made one final call to her mom's house phone. 

"Hello?" Maggie answered.

"Mrs. Scully. It's uh, Fox." He winced at saying his own name. Only she had the privilege to call him that. "Is she home? I tried calling her cell and the hospital, but I can't get a hold of her." He said frantically. 

"She was here a little while ago, but just said she needed air. I didn't tell her that you left, I know you wanted to do that yourself, but she went to talk to you and your things were obviously missing. I think she was upset, but I don't know where she would have gone." Maggie said calmly, she could sense the worry in his voice. 

"I think I know where she is, thank you." He said, hanging up the phone. He knew exactly where to find her. 

Mulder made his way to the familiar bench near the Reflecting Pool. From far away, he could see her sitting there, lost in her thoughts. She was watching a nearby family clearly on vacation, and took extra interest in the parents interacting with their children. A small smile appeared on her face as she observed the dad running around with the kids, but it didn't reach her sad eyes. 

He slowly made his way over to her, stopping just in front of the bench. 

"Is this seat taken?" He asked casually. She startled at his voice, and didn't realize he had even approached her. 

"Uh, no. But I should warn you, I'm extremely hormonal and prone to overly emotional outbursts." She said with an apologetic smile. 

"Well, I am a psychologist, so I'll take my chances." He said as he sat next to her. He wanted to pull her into a hug, but wasn't sure it would be welcome. 

"You went back to your apartment." She said as a fact, not a question.

"Yeah, the doc cleared me to return to work, so I thought I'd head home. I figured I overstayed my welcome anyway." 

"You're always welcome there, you know that. I'm sorry, for earlier. I just...I'm not used to having to consult someone else, when it comes to the baby. I made all these decisions on my own in the beginning, and now-" 

"Now you know that I want to be involved."

"Yes. Mulder I never meant to exclude you from anything, it's just a second thought to me. I'm so used to being independent in my life choices, I don't think I know how to be involved with someone else." She let out a small chuckle.

"Well, lucky for you, I have a horrible track record myself, so we get to figure this out together." He said as he pulled her into his arms. She came willingly, and surrendered to the serenity around them. 

"I'm sorry for going off on you earlier. Sometimes the hormones get the best of me, whether I like to think I can control it or not. I think I was nervous about lunch, too. We, uh, need to talk about a plan for us, I just didn't want to rush anything." She said, composing herself again.

"We could stop saying we need to talk, and I don't know, just talk about it." He joked, trying to lighten the mood. She chuckled, and they both relaxed slightly.

"That would be the normal, adult thing to do, Mulder. When have we ever been normal?" She said with a smirk.

"It might be a good time to start, we don't want to mess up the kid too much." He smiled in return. 

"I do, um, have something I've been worried about. I ran into Skinner, when I was back here the first time, and he said..." Her voice trailed off, she didn't want him to overreact, but she needed to know if they were going to move forward. "He said that you were having some problems, personally. That working in Violent Crimes again was messing with your head, and I just need to know if you plan on staying there. With the baby coming, I just don't know if I can handle having to worry about you every time you go to work, not knowing how you'll return home." She said exasperated. She finally looked up and noticed the defeated look on his face. 

"Scully, I won't lie to you, working back in VCS, it did some things to me. I swore I would never return, but without the x-files, I didn't see pushing papers as an option. The past few weeks was just as much of a mental rest as it was physical. I have thought about it, since I found out, and I've considered some other options. I can consider these alternatives more seriously if that's what you want." He said sincerely. 

"It has to be your decision, Mulder."

"No, it has to be _our_ decision, and if that's what you want, then it's something I will heavily consider." He said, grabbing her hands in his. He paused momentarily as he began to replay her other words in his head. "Hey Scully..." 

"Yeah?" 

"You said that you would worry about how I would return home. Does that mean, uh-" He didn't want to assume that she implied that they would be living together. It wasn't a discussion that they had even come close to having, oddly enough, considering he was temporarily living with her already. When he moved out, and went back to his apartment, it made their separation clearly evident. 

Scully froze as she realized what she said, and mentally chastised herself. In her mind, the perfect outcome would be them living together, raising the baby. She hadn't thought about what kind of relationship they would have, because she was too scared to hope for the best, but she thought their partnership would be stronger than ever. She hadn't planned on disclosing any of this to Mulder, but now it was too late. 

"I, uh, just meant that in a general sense." She said calmly. 

"Scully..." 

She sighed heavily. "Is it so unrealistic to think that we could live together?" She asked timidly. 

"No, I've definitely thought about it. Does this mean we get to pick out those china patterns now?" He said nudging her arm with his own. 

"Mulder, I'm being serious. This - this would be a big decision for us. You can't just go into this lightly. I need to know-" She started saying sporadically. 

"Hey..." He said, raising her gaze to meet his own. "I'm being serious, too. It's something I've thought about, a lot. I just didn't think you were ready for it. I don't know how many times I need to tell you I'm not going anywhere, and I'll say it until you believe me. But I need to know you are just as sure about this." 

She sat there, letting her thoughts mull over his words. She didn't have any more excuses to not take this step with him, he had assured her of that. She knew the reality of being able to hide at her mom's house forever had diminished, and it was time to allow Mulder the chance to prove that he wanted this. She didn't know why she was still terrified, perhaps that was just something that would never go away, but she wanted to push pass the fear, for them. 

"I'm sure." She said in a small voice. 

"I don't totally believe you, but I'm not going to question it." He said, placing a chaste kiss on her lips. They both wanted to deepen their physical sentiments, but it wasn't their time, yet. 

"No, I am sure. Everything is still an adjustment, but I'm ready for this." She said, smiling before placing another kiss between them. 

He separated himself from her, and got up from the bench, putting his hand out for her to take. 

"Well then, let's go play house." 


	5. Chapter 5

The next week had passed by in a blur. Scully stayed busy at the hospital, and Mulder had started back to work. They hadn't had time to really take any action on their plans, and they found it harder to find time to spend with each other, now that he was back in his apartment. They had dinner together every night, whether it was out at a restaurant, or he made his way to Maggie's house for the evening. If they were both being honest with themselves, they were using work as a shield to avoid actually having to move forward with their agreement. It's not that they didn't want this, the reality of it just slightly terrified them. 

Mulder had finally taken the step for them, and set up appointments for them to look at small houses and apartments in the area during the weekend. Scully tried to find excuses, but nothing came to mind. She knew she had to push past her own reservations if she wanted this to work. She hadn't lived with anyone, other than her mother, in a long time. She didn't want them moving in together to ruin anything, but knew if she could live with someone for the rest of her life, it would be Mulder. 

"Dr. Scully." She answered as her phone rang in her office. 

"Hey, doc, it's me. I was just wrapping up for the day, and didn't know if you wanted to grab dinner." Mulder said. 

"Hey, I would love to, but I have a late appointment on my way home. After?" She answered passively, not paying attention to her words.

"Appointment? Is everything okay?" Mulder asked, slightly worried. She instantly winced and placed her hand on her forehead. After their conversation, she was so lost in thoughts of moving in together, she forgot to tell him about her ultrasound today. She also needed to become acquainted with the idea of having to include him on everything. It was never a first thought for her, and it might be her biggest adjustment that she had to make. 

"Yeah, everything's fi- great. I, uh, forgot to mention it to you. I'm sorry, Mulder. I didn't mean to not tell you, I think I just forgot. It's going to take time for me to remember to include you on appointments and things like that. I didn't mean-" She let out a heavy sigh. She heard silence on the other end of the phone, and instantly began to panic that she had already messed this up, again. "Mulder...?" 

"I'm here." He answered shortly. "Scully, it's okay, I get that it's going to take time, everything is new, I just - I want to be included." He said solemnly. 

"Mulder, I'm sorry. I really didn't mean to keep this from you, I just forgot." She said in a small voice, hoping he would understand. "I do want you there, though. We, might be able to find out the sex of the baby today, if we want to know." 

"I don't want to make you feel obligated to include me if you're not ready, Scully." He said, beginning to sulk in his own wounded feelings.

"No, Mulder, I do want you there. I'm honestly just running through motions that I've been running through since I moved back, and having you back in my life has shaken up some things, but in the best way." Her assistant came to grab her attention at the door, gesturing for her to finish up her last patient. "I, uh, have to go finish this last autopsy. My appointment's at 5, if you want to meet me there. I hope I'll see you later." She said disconnecting the call. She knew that as much as he was hurt about the slip up of the situation, he wouldn't resist showing up to meet her there. She smiled to herself at how much she found his need for inclusion so endearing. 

After she hung up, Mulder knew he was overreacting. He knew Scully well enough to know that she did want him around, she was just taking everything cautiously, and not without question. He wanted to make the ultimate commitment to her, but knew she wasn't ready for that. He would wait for whenever she was. He shook himself from his thoughts, and finished up his own work so that he could head over to the doctor's office. Everything was going to take some time to get used to, but this was a start. 

He was making his way through the main hall, when he was stopped by Skinner. 

"Agent Mulder, can I have a word in my office?" He said, gesturing for him to follow. 

Mulder's shoulders slumped, he should have known this wasn't going to be that easy. "Is something wrong, Sir?" 

"Well, I guess it depends on who you ask. I have a request for a recommendation for you from the University to teach Criminal Psychology. Something you need to tell me?" Skinner asked from behind his desk. 

Mulder winced, he had hoped they would wait to make the calls until he had a chance to talk to his superiors, but he had other things on his mind that were more important. 

"Uh, I'm just thinking it's time for a change of pace." Mulder answered passively. 

"Do you need more recovery time from the injury? We've been holding off on the field work, but we can give you more time if you need it. It's quite a different career path." 

"No, I feel fully recovered for the most part. No complications. I - there's some changes happening, and I don't think working VCS is the best option for me anymore. They offered me the Head of Psychology position as well. I would be able to teach, and oversee the department as a whole. It's something I've heavily considered, even before, well just recently." 

"If this is what you want, I'll send my recommendation over. Is there anything else you need to tell me, off record?" Skinner asked skeptically. He knew that the agent before him was fidgeting uncomfortably to avoid another discussion. 

"Uh, not at the moment. I'm actually running late for something now, if you don't mind, I'll be heading home for the day." Mulder said, checking his watch, realizing he would be cutting it close to make it across town to Scully's appointment. 

"That's all I needed to discuss, you're dismissed." Skinner said, waving his hand towards the door. 

Mulder sprang from his seat and hurriedly made his way to the car. He was planning to get there earlier, so that he would just be waiting for Scully when she arrived, to hopefully erase any doubts she may have had forming. Now, he would be lucky to make it there by the time of her appointment. He sped through traffic, half tempted to play the FBI card and make people move out of his way. He didn't want to mess this up, and knew that if he wasn't there for her appointment, she would assume he wasn't coming. 

Scully had finished up her reports, and made her way to the doctor. She hoped she didn't cause too much trouble between her and Mulder, and would put money on him being there already, waiting for her, with that sad puppy face she loved so much. When she arrived, she checked herself in, she was 10 minutes early. She glanced around the waiting room, but there was no sign of Mulder. Her nerves began to get the best of her, and the anxiety built in thinking that maybe he wasn't coming at all. She choked back the emotions that were beginning to form, and let out a few deep breaths. When the nurse called her name to take her back to a room, her mood plummeted even further. She never wanted to do this alone, she wanted him here, by her side, where he belongs. 

She asked for a minute to step outside and make a phone call. As she made her way to the front lobby, she pulled out her phone and pressed 1 on her speed dial. It rang, and then went to voicemail. Her heart sank, thinking he was avoiding her now, and wasn't going to show up after all. She began to turn and make her way back inside when she noticed a car pull up to the front curb and park in the fire lane. 

"Scully! Sorry I'm late, I got held up in a last minute meeting. I came here as fast as I could, but traffic and-" Mulder began to stammer as he approached her. He was still rambling on with his apology, so she stretched up to meet his lips with her own. She could feel him relax and calm into her touch. 

"You wouldn't shut up again. I'm glad you're here." She said smiling at him, her face lingering only inches away from him. 

"You know, that tactic really does work better than just shooting me." He smiled back at her. 

"I don't know, that one worked pretty well, too. I'll have to keep them both on hand, depending on the situation." 

"Well, I'm trying to not find myself in situations that would deem the need for you to shoot me again, but I make no promises." 

She rolled her eyes as they shared a chuckle, happy to have had their doubts washed away. "Come on, they're ready for us. Mulder, you can't just park in the fire lane." She said eyeing the car. 

"Sure I can, perks of the FBI, Scully. Gotta use them while I still have them." He said, escorting her back into the main office, with his hand resting on the small of her back.

"What's that supposed to mean? While you still have them?" She asked puzzled, eyebrow raising with question. 

"Uh, nothing. We'll talk about it later, promise." He said trying to avoid the subject. He didn't want to get their hopes up if he didn't get the position at the University. He knew his chances were pretty good, since they approached him, but didn't want to bring anymore disappointment to their growing relationship. 

She let that discussion slide, for now, as they made their way into a small room. The nurse instructed her to change into a gown so that they could do a full check up. As she left the room, Scully glanced over at Mulder with the gown in her hand. 

"I, uh, have to change into this, so..." She said, implying for him to leave the room. They hadn't reached that point in their relationship yet, even though they were having a child together and were planning on living in the same house. She knew this was another discussion they needed to have soon, but she could only handle so many at a time. 

"Oh, right. Sorry, I'll just be outside." He said sheepishly before making his exit. 

He returned when the doctor came in a few minutes later. They made their introductions and the doctor began preparing for her a pelvic examination. Mulder instantly felt like he was intruding on something, and began to wonder if Scully felt okay with him in the room. He didn't want to ask her, and make it seem like he didn't want to be there, but needed to gage how she felt. 

"Should I, uh, step out for this part, too?" He asked calmly. 

"Oh, you don't have to, it will only take a few minutes and then we'll do the ultrasound. But if you're uncomfortable, you can." She answered with a shy smile. Neither of them knew how to approach the new aspects of their relationship. 

"No, I'm okay." He let out in a small whisper, before leaning on the counter behind him. He tried to make himself distracted by reading anything and everything around him, but couldn't avoid the conversation happening. 

"Everything looks good, Dana. The baby is sitting in the uterus nicely, and the cervix looks great. Normally I wouldn't do a full exam in the middle of a pregnancy, but you had a special case, so I wanted to make sure." Dr. Mendoza said cheerfully. 

Well, he didn't know what kind of step they just took in their relationship, but he knew there was no turning back now. 

"Thanks, I appreciate it. I feel like I'm freaking out anytime I feel anything different. I feel foolish for that, I'm a doctor, I should just know these things." Scully answered, seemingly embarrassed. 

"Nonsense, I see first time moms ten times more of a nervous wreck than you. You're handling everything great, with the new transition. I see you have some people to help you as well." Mendoza said, glancing over at Mulder. 

Color instantly rose to Scully's cheeks. This was the first time anyone had directly pointed out their relationship, and she wasn't sure how to handle it. She just nodded slightly, not making eye contact with her doctor. 

"Great, well let's get the ultrasound going, shall we?" Dr. Mendoza said with a grin on her face. She loaded up the black and white images on the screen, and began to move her wand around Scully's stomach. Mulder had began to pay attention again, but still held back silently until Scully initiated his inclusion. As the tool moved around, the image slowly began to appear. "Ah, there we go. The baby is in a good spot to get some clear images today." 

Scully held back the tears in her eyes. She had had quick ultrasounds before, but mostly to hear the heartbeat and make sure that nothing was wrong. This was an actual look at her future child, and she got to experience it with Mulder. She blindly reached out her hand for him, and he grasped onto it instantly. She didn't need to look at him to know that he was holding back his own emotions. As the doctor pointed out all the different parts of the baby, she turned on the volume of the monitor. The small heartbeat began to fill the room, and a small tear shed from Scully's eye. She hadn't realized she let it fall until Mulder went to wipe it away softly with his thumb. She finally glanced up at him, and they shared a smile full of promise. He leaned down to kiss her forehead, and they returned their attention back to the doctor. 

"Well, I can tell you what you're having, if you want to know." Dr. Mendoza informed. 

"I, we, haven't really discussed if we want to know yet." Scully answered carefully. She knew she wanted to know, but didn't want to take that moment away from Mulder if he didn't. She looked at him again, and he just shrugged. 

"How about I put it in a sealed envelope for you. That way if you do decide you want to know, you can just see for yourself. If you don't, you can just toss it." 

"Yeah, that sounds like a good plan. Thank you." Scully said, as the doctor made her exit, leaving them alone for a moment. 

"Mulder, do you want to know the sex of the baby?" Scully began to ask as she started changing her clothes. He froze for a moment, thinking she didn't realize that she was changing in front of him, but it didn't seem to phase her. He didn't want to bring it to her attention, in case she didn't notice. He would just silently revel in this moment. 

"I don't know, Scully. I do, but I also like the idea of not knowing." He said, stealing subtle glances of her changed body. 

"When have you ever liked the idea of not knowing something, Mulder?" She said with a chuckle of irony. She began to button up her shirt, but his hand enclosed over hers, stopping her actions. She immediately stiffened, as she realized that she had just changed in front of him. It wasn't even a second thought in her mind to ask him to leave again. After sharing the intimacy of experiencing their child together, she never questioned it. She was more surprised at how comfortable she felt. 

As she stopped her actions, his hands slowly made their way to her bare stomach. He lingered there for a moment, touching her with feather soft grazes. She smiled at the look of fascination in his eyes, and her reservations about their next steps together began to dissolve. 

"Scully, this - this is incredible. You, you're beautiful." He said in a whisper, still paying extra attention to her growing stomach. 

"Mulder..." The rest of her words were cut off with his lips. This kiss was the one they had been waiting for. He pulled her tightly into him by her hips, rubbing his hands up and down the sides of her stomach, under her still open shirt. She reached up to cradle her hands behind his neck, and they embraced deeper. This kiss was filled with passion and promise between them. He fought for entrance to her mouth, and she opened willingly. Their tongues dueled for control as they melded into each other. They finally broke for air, and rested their foreheads against each other, breathing heavily, but never breaking from their embrace. 

"I, Scully...wow" He whispered into her mouth. 

"Yeah..." She said in response. Her pregnancy hormones were working in overdrive, and she knew she had to retract from this situation before just throwing Mulder on the ground and having her way with him. She cleared her throat and reluctantly pulled herself away. "We, uh, should get going." She said, avoiding his gaze. She could tell he was puzzled by her change in mood, but couldn't exactly tell him that her hormones combined with that kiss made her want to jump his bones. 

They made their way out to the front desk, and the doctor handed them each a printed copy of the ultrasound, as well as the sealed envelope. Scully thanked the doctor again, and took the papers with a shaky hand. She needed to get out of there, fast. When they walked outside, she took a deep breath of the cold air, and let her body cool itself down. Her mind was buzzing with everything that had happened in the last hour, and she needed to compose herself. 

"Do you want to grab dinner? Unless you have plans, or don't want to." Mulder asked timidly. He was approaching her with caution after her instant mood change following their kiss. He was puzzled by what happened, and assumed that it was too much for her too soon, so he didn't want to push. 

"Sure. That sounds good." She smiled at him. She could sense that he was being apprehensive towards her, and wanted to reassure him that it wasn't anything he did, or at least anything he could control. 

They made their way to a nearby restaurant and were seated at a small booth. They had both been rather quiet since arriving, and the only conversation that was being exchanged was about what looked good to eat. As Mulder was looking over the menu, she was stealing glances of him over hers. She licked her lips subconsciously as she watched his bottom lip slightly pout in thought. Her thoughts quickly took a different direction, and she could feel her body heat rising again. She bit her own bottom lip, trying to compose herself despite the hormones running through her body, but it didn't work out as planned.

"Scully, you okay? You look a little, flushed." Mulder said, slightly worried. 

"I'm fine. Uh, actually, I'm not feeling that great, do you mind if we take a raincheck on dinner?" 

"No, of course not. Let's get you home." He said as he escorted her outside. His hand touching her lower back was not helping her situation, but she loved this contact. "You okay to drive home? I could take you, and then come get your car later." 

"No! I, uh, I'll be fine. I promise. I'll call you as soon as I'm home to let you know I made it okay." She said quickly, she didn't know how much more being around him she could take. 

"Okay, are you sure everything is alright? You just seem different after we, uh, after the doctor's." He asked shyly. She wanted to roll her eyes at how he thought he did something wrong, when in reality he did something more than right. Too right than what she thought she was ready for. She knew he would instantly doubt the situation, and take the blame on himself, so she needed to let him know that things were more than okay. She pushed aside her hormonal thoughts, and leaned up to kiss him softly on the lips. She would have deepened the kiss, but she didn't know if she'd be able to stop the rest of her actions. 

"Everything's perfect. I'll call you when I get home." She said, placing another quick peck on his lips and making her brisk escape to her car. He was left standing there completely confused about the events as they transpired over the last few hours. He knew he needed to read up more about mood changes with pregnancy. He just hoped that whatever confusion clouding his thoughts about what happened today would smooth over by tomorrow, before they went to look at prospective homes. 

* * *

Mulder had picked up Scully the next morning, and things seemed to be back to normal. They spent a good majority of the afternoon looking at different town-homes and small houses. Most of the ones they came across were three bedrooms, and just slightly out of their price range. They finally took a break for lunch, and settled in at a small cafe near by. 

"I don't know, Mulder. I just feel like that one had so much extra space that we don't need." Scully said exasperated. They couldn't agree on any of them, and knew they were in for a long weekend. 

"Scully, anything smaller than that only has two bedrooms." He said, matching her exhaustion. 

"And? I liked the pictures of the small two bedroom house that's in that same neighborhood you liked so much." She said, distracted by her menu. 

"Yeah, but wouldn't we, uh, need another room?" He asked cautiously. He didn't want to assume that they would be sharing a bed. Sure, in his dreams, living with Scully meant waking up to her every morning, but he didn't think he'd be that lucky. Their relationship was still an avoided discussion. 

"Why would we need another roo-" She paused, realizing the disconnect in understanding. "Mulder, did you assume we'd be in separate rooms? Is that what you want?" She asked carefully, slowly putting down her menu. She hoped that when they made the commitment to live together, they meant it in every sense of the term. 

"Well, I mean, I had hoped that we would share the same room, the same bed, if that wasn't too much wishful thinking. I just didn't think that's what you wanted, right now." He said with a sheepish expression on his face. 

"Why would you think that?" She said in a small whisper.

"I don't know, maybe because any time we move towards a more intimate relationship, I feel like you pull away from me. I just figured you weren't ready to share all of your space with me. I mean, after yesterday at the doctor's office, I'm not too sure of a lot of things right now." He answered honestly.

"Mulder, I didn't mean to confuse you. I - yesterday, there were just some things I needed to work through. I think I'd like to take the cop out here and blame it on the pregnancy hormones." She said as she took a sip of her water, not meeting his eyes. 

"You know that excuse won't work forever, right?" 

"Yeah, but it'll at least buy me a few more months though." She said with a smirk on her face. 

"And so it begins. Fine, you get a pass for now, but don't think we won't talk about it later." He said matching her smirk. 

"Does this mean we get to go see the two bedroom after lunch?" She said with a playful smile. She knew she already won this argument. 

"I don't know, Scully. If I start letting you have your way now, who knows what kind of mentality that'll give you." 

"Mulder, you should know by now, I'm always right anyway. It's part of the rules." She said, exchanging a smiling gaze with him. 

They finished their lunch, and contently made their way to the house that Scully so desperately wanted to see. As they parked and made their way inside, Mulder stepped away, excusing himself, to answer a phone call. 

"Mulder." 

"Mr. Mulder, this is Dean Davison. I'm sorry to be calling you on a weekend, but we are in a bit of a situation at the moment. First, I would like to congratulate you, and offer you the position as Head of Psychological Sciences here at the University. Normally, we would give you plenty of time to make the transition, however the professor currently holding that position has had a family emergency, causing him to have to withdrawal sooner than we had planned. If you were to accept, we would need you to start as soon as next week." Davison explained, hoping he didn't sound as desperate as he felt. 

"Wow, uh, thank you. I would definitely love to accept, I just need to talk it over with my - uh, some people. Can I give you a call back in the next hour?" Mulder said, completely taken back by the sudden news. 

"Of course, please, take your time. I look forward to hearing from you Mr. Mulder." Davison said, before disconnecting the call.

Mulder's mind was in a whirlwind. When he first discussed this position with the University, it seemed like an ideal situation for him. Now that it was becoming a reality, he wasn't sure what to make of it. He hadn't talked to Scully about it, other than their discussion about leaving the VCS. He wanted to make sure to have more definitive answers before getting anyone's hopes up. His life was definitely far from what it was only a few months ago, but he wouldn't change anything about it. 

He made his way back into the house, and looked amongst the other people there for the open house. There were small families, and young couples mulling around, talking about what they loved and hated about every inch of it. He finally found Scully upstairs in the master bedroom, standing on the balcony that extended from the room, staring out at the backyard view. He smiled at how serene she looked, and slowly made his way to stand behind her. 

He placed his hands on her shoulders, and she leaned into his embrace. He took the moment to fully wrap his arms around her small frame, engulfing her, and making them one. He placed a small kiss on the sensitive spot on her neck, just below her ear. 

"What do you think?" He whispered, maintaining his closeness. 

"Mm, it's perfect. The house isn't so bad either." She said with a grin, as she turned to face him. 

"I agree." He responded by placing a gentle kiss on her lips. "I've got some news." 

"Does it have to do with your phone call?" 

"Yeah, uh, I have job offer. I met with the Dean from the University last week, and he was just waiting on some letters of recommendation to come in. They apparently questioned my sparkling personality." 

"Shocking. I didn't know you met with them last week?" She said sarcastically, before raising her eyebrow at her lack of knowledge of the situation. 

"Well, I know we talked about me looking at other options, and I didn't want to get too hopeful, or jinx it. Anyway, the professor that I would be taking over for had to withdrawal from his position sooner than they anticipated, so they offered me the job with a sense of urgency." 

"Mulder that's amazing! Would you just be teaching then?" She said she she turned her body to fully face his, wrapping her arms around his waist.

"Uh, yeah, but the position isn't just for teaching. I'd be the Head of Psychological Sciences. Most of the classes I teach would be on Criminal Pysch, but I'd be overseeing the entire department." He said humbly. 

"That's incredible! This is a great opportunity for you." She said with a proud smile on her face. 

"It's a great opportunity for _us_." He said before enclosing his lips onto hers. She leaned further into his body, causing him to wrap his arms tighter around her. He deepened the kiss, and she began to frantically pull him closer to her by his collar. 

She had been able to somewhat keep her hormones under control throughout the day, but now it was a lost cause. With the excitement of their news, and the passionate kiss, she was losing all inhibitions. She broke from the kiss, and immediately walked away from him, towards the bedroom door. He remained standing there, dumbfounded, confused again as to what was happening. 

"Scully...?" He said, walking towards her slowly, trying to gage her mood. She went to shut the bedroom door, but could hear people making their way towards them from the hall. She let out a frustrated grunt as she turned wordlessly and grabbed Mulder's hand, leading him forcefully into the bathroom. She locked the door behind her, and turned to face him. 

He didn't want to ask questions, because he had never seen this side of Scully before. She had a different look in her eyes that he didn't recognize, something almost, feral. He gave her a confused look, and before he could ask what was happening, she threw her body into his, capturing his mouth with her own. This kiss was frantic, but filled with lust, and desire. He pulled her into him, needing more contact, but then reluctantly broke apart from their embrace.

"Scully, what..." He began to ask before she enclosed on his lips again.

"Mulder, shut up. I need you, right now." She said in a sultry whisper. 

"We - this is an open house, there are other people here. What's going on?" He asked, not really wanting to stop this, but trying to give her a chance to back out.  

"Do you have any idea how much pregnancy hormones fuck with your body? I wanted you to take me right in the doctor's office after our first real kiss. Geez, Mulder, do you even know what you've been doing to my mind lately? I've had very indecent thoughts about you, that I can't control anymore. I need this, I need you." She barely finished saying before pulling his head down for another kiss, deeper than the last. 

He didn't question it anymore, and didn't care who knew what they were doing in the bathroom of this house. He began walking them backwards towards the bathroom counter until they stopped on impact, never breaking from their kiss. He lifted her onto the counter, mouths still connected, and she began to frantically pull at his belt buckle. Luckily for them, she was wearing a skirt, and he hiked it up to her waist, running his hands slowly along her thighs. She let out a breathy moan into his mouth at the contact, and he just smiled at the sound. He skillfully removed her underwear, and let them drop to the floor. She began to desperately claw at the button on his jeans, and finally freed it, along with the zipper. She scooted forward and pushed down his pants and boxers, so they gathered at his feet. She took a moment to admire his length, and a small smirk began to grow on her face. She wrapped her legs around his waist, and he closed the gap between them again with his mouth. His tip was teasing her entrance, and he could feel her wetness already. He reached down between them, and began to rub at her center. 

"Jesus, Mulder..." She hissed as two fingers entered her. She whimpered in satisfaction at the contact, and began to move with the movement of his hand. He watched as her face ran through emotions, and could see the fire burning in her eyes. This was a version of Scully he could definitely get used to seeing more often. He could feel her core tighten around his fingers, swollen and ready to reach climax. She frantically reached between them and covered his hand with hers, gesturing for him to stop. He looked at her confused, and she shook her head, breathing heavily.

"I want you inside of me. Now." He didn't need more clarification on that, he pulled her forward by her hips, leaving no space between them. Her hand still positioned between them, she guided him to her center, and he entered her slowly. He wanted to give her time to adjust, but she began to excitedly thrust her hips towards him. He matched her movements, and she rested her hand on his shoulder, and the other behind his neck as they found their rhythm. 

"Mulder...god..." She said in a barely audible whisper, leaning her forehead on his chest as their pace increased. He could tell she was almost there, and his thrusts became deeper. He felt her fingers dig into his back and her teeth clamp onto his shoulder to mask her noise. He heard a small gasp, followed by a muffled moan as she rode out her orgasm. A few more thrusts, and he followed, emptying himself into her completely. 

They both held onto each other, trying to regulate their breathing, and just basking in this moment. When she finally leaned back, away from him, she noticed the look of uncertainty on his face. She should have known that he would immediately question what this meant for them, so she smiled and sealed her sentiments with a final kiss. It wiped away the doubts he had in his mind, worrying that she would regret this. 

"You worry too much, you know." She said teasingly, as she gently slid off the counter and gathered her underwear from the floor. They both began to redress, and froze as they heard people on the other side of the door. They both had to try to suppress the small chuckle that dared to escape. 

"Well forgive me for questioning this unexpected turn of events for today." He whispered back, hoping to stay quiet enough until the crowd cleared from the bedroom. "Scully, that was..." He was at a loss for words. He didn't know how to describe what just happened, but he definitely wasn't complaining. 

"Yeah, it was. I told you, I'm blaming it on the pregnancy hormones." She said with a sly grin touching her lips, recalling their earlier conversation.

"You know, I think I might let you get away with using that one for a while." They shared a smile as she rested her hands on his chest, and he wrapped his arms around her waist. "So, uh, what do you think of the house now?" He asked, wagging his eyebrows. 

"Well, we did already christen it." 

"You know what they say, Scully. You have sex on the bathroom counter, you buy it." 

"That's definitely not what they say, Mulder." She said with a small chuckle. 

He smiled back at her, and kissed the tip of her nose. "Well, it definitely has my vote now, the rest is up to you." 

"It was my favorite, before...that." She said glancing back at the scene of the crime, a small blush reaching her cheeks. "Are you sure you like it?" She asked, turning to read the truths in his eyes. 

"I like it if you do. I don't care where we live, Scully, as long as we're together. Plus, this is closer to the University than any of the other places. I think it's perfect." 

"Oh that's right, _Professor_ Mulder." She purred at him. 

"Seriously, Scully, if you don't stop that, we are never going to make it out of this bathroom." 

"Well, the shower does kind of look cozy." She said with a smirk, that caused him to groan. 

"Scully..." He pleaded. She chuckled, and relished in the fact that she had the ability to do this to him. She leaned up, and placed a chaste kiss on his lips, securing this new place in their relationship. He didn't know where this flirty side of Scully came from, but he was definitely looking forward to discovering more about her. 

"Come on, G-Man. Let's go buy _our_ house." 


	6. Chapter 6

A month had passed since they bought their modest house, and it was moving day. Mulder had to make some adjustments, having started his new job, and taking over the moving process. He had tried to handle most of the packing, but Scully insisted that she have something to do. She hated feeling helpless, but admired Mulder's persistence to take charge. Her mother was thrilled to learn about their most recent step in their relationship, and offered her assistance as well. 

They had been rather comfortable since they took that intimate advance in their relationship at the open house. Scully spent more evenings staying the night at his apartment, and it acquainted them for living together, sharing the same space. Everything had been going smoothly for them, and they both reveled in this small solace. 

"Scully, where am I putting this box labeled 'albums/photos' that we grabbed from your mom's?" Mulder asked, carrying the boxes inside their new home.

"Oh, uh, you can just put that in the downstairs closet. I'll organize it later." She said passively. 

"Are these old photos of Dana Katherine Scully? You know, I think it's time for a break." He said mischievously as he sat down on the couch and set the box in front of him. 

"Mulder, don't you dare. I don't even know why my mom put them with my stuff." She said as she was already trying to fight him from opening the box.

"Come on, Scully. They can't be that bad." He said as he pulled out an album and opened the front cover. "Scully, look how adorable you are. Oh, these are great. Remind me to send your mom a thank you card." He said through his laughter.

"If you don't put those away right now, you've already earned your spot on the couch." She said, attempting to suppress the grin slowly sweeping over her face. 

"I think it's bad juju to put me in the doghouse on the first night. Plus, I mean it. You were adorable. The braces, the unruly curls. I can only hope that our kid has to go through this, too." 

"We, uh, never talked about if we wanted to open the envelope." 

"It's killing you, isn't it? To not know." 

"Yes, Mulder, if you don't want to know, I respect that. I can open it and then burn it or whatever, but I want to know." She said exasperated. He laughed at her being flustered, and was wondering how long she would hold off inquiring about it. 

"We can open the envelope, I've been waiting for you to ask. I'm proud of you though, waiting this long." He said as he pecked her on the lips and rose to retrieve the sealed results from the small downstairs office. When he returned, she was sitting there anxiously, with a happiness radiating from her.

"Are you sure you want to know? I don't want to force you, if you wanted to wait for the surprise of the moment." She said as she was already opening the envelope. He just chuckled and shook his head.

"I want whatever you want. It'll be nice to not have to refer to the bump as kid, spawn, my alien hunting prodigy." 

"Cute. Remind me to ask your mother for childhood stories and pictures of you, so I really know what I'm getting myself into." She teased back. 

"Oh, right. Uh, Scully, I..." He paused and took a deep breath. She stopped her movements, and placed her hands, still gripping the results, in her lap. She looked towards him, and he avoided her gaze, keeping his head down. "I haven't exactly told her about all of this. She knows about the new job, and she knows I moved in with you. I just, haven't exactly disclosed anything about the baby." He said in a small whisper.

"Wha - why?" 

"You know I don't talk to her much, and the last time I really had a moment for an in depth conversation, I was still unsure about what you wanted from me. I only mentioned in passing about my new job and moving. I don't think she'd appreciate 'by the way, you're going to have a grandchild' as a voicemail." He said softly, still avoiding her eyes. 

"A granddaughter." She whispered. His head finally flew up to look at her, and she was facing him with a smile on her face, holding the open paper in her hand. 

"Scully, we're - it's a girl? We're having a girl." He said in amazement as he scooped her up in his arms, bringing her to settle in his lap. He gently wiped away the escaped tear from her cheek with his thumb. She leaned down to kiss him, and they both relished in this moment. 

"We're having a girl." She whispered into his mouth, repeating their news. "Don't think this means you're off the hook. Talk to your mother, Mulder." She said, gesturing to their intimate moment before smiling and separating herself from their embrace. 

"I will, I promise." He said in a resigned sigh. "Uh, hey, Scully..." She paused her stride into the kitchen, and turned to face him with her hands on her hips. He crept towards her smoothly, and wrapped his arms through hers, around her hips. "Since we already christened the master bathroom, what do you say we include the rest of the house." He leered at her. She chuckled in response before closing the gap between them. They knew there was no more work getting done on the first night in their new house. 

* * *

 

Mulder had set up a lunch date with his mom in the next few days following. He knew it wasn't going to be pleasant, but he needed to go through with it, for Scully. 

"Mom, it's great to see you." He said, standing to greet his mother and help her into her seat. They had chosen a restaurant near her house that she frequented often. He hoped that having her in familiar surroundings would help ease the blow.

"Fox, it's nice to see you, too. I am curious about the reason behind this lunch." She said monotone, as she situated herself at the table.

"I just thought it would be nice to catch up. I've had a lot of, changes, in my life recently and I didn't want you to feel excluded." 

"So what else is new besides the new career and house? I'll have to get your new address so I can send a housewarming gift for you and your, living mate." She said almost disapprovingly. She didn't understand their relationship, and he hadn't clarified much information for her.

"Scully...Dana, is my, uh, partner. My life partner, as confusing as that may sound, it works for us."

"I just don't understand your relationship, I suppose."

"Well, uh, I mostly asked you here to share some news with you. We - we're having a baby, in a few months." He smiled to himself, speaking the words out loud. "We're having a girl." When he looked up, he saw the speculative look bestowed upon his mother's face and sighed. 

"Well I suppose congratulations are in order then." She said coldly. 

"Please, try to suppress your excitement for us. I just wanted to let you know, I don't expect you to be involved." He scoffed. 

"I'm just having trouble piecing together how this all fits. I remember you telling me that she had moved, and now she's back and having a baby in a few months. Are you even sure it's yours?" She asked deadpanned. 

"It's not for you to question my life. I'm positive about the parentage of this child, and even if I wasn't, I would love it all the same, because I love her. It's complicated, how it happened, but I'm very happy." He said defensively. 

His mother ignored the argument, and instantly changed the subject, veering towards more simple conversations. He just laughed internally at his mother's lack of emotion for dealing with issues, and played nice through the rest of their lunch. He knew he didn't need to justify anything to her, and meant every word that he said. 

After lunch, he escorted his mother to her car, and she maintained her promise to send a housewarming gift. Mulder began to walk back to his car, stopping dead in his tracks at the smell of cigarette smoke coming from the alleyway beside the restaurant. 

"What the hell do you want?" Mulder growled at him. 

"I was simply checking in. How are things going with your new job, Agent Mulder? Or do you prefer Professor Mulder?" The Cigarette Smoking Man asked smugly.

"That's none of your damn business. I'm not poking around your shady life anymore, so leave me alone." His anger began to rise.

"And Dr. Scully, how's the baby doing?" He asked, inhaling his cigarette, ignoring Mulder's outburst. 

"How the hell - stay away from her, too. Just leave us the hell alone. We aren't pawns for you to play with anymore." 

"That's where you're wrong, Agent Mulder. How do you suppose that lost vial found its way back into the fertility doctor's office?" He said with an amused look on his face, knowing he had the upper hand. Mulder's face paled at his words, and he lost all inhibition to withhold his rage. He charged him, and pinned him against the restaurant wall. 

"What the hell did you do, you son of a bitch!" 

"I would love to explain, however I'm rather uncomfortable in this position." Mulder released him and remained in his personal space.

"Start talking." 

"It seems that the vials you uncovered originally were only a placebo. They would have never worked during implantation. The doctor assisting her was under our care, and only did as we instructed. We implanted two placebos and two actual embryos, with your assistance of course. Her failed attempts came from the placebos." He explained smugly.

"So, you put her through that, put us through that, for what?! What the hell changed your mind now?" Mulder exclaimed, pacing in front of him trying to absorb the information. 

"Our plans have changed. At the time, when we first stored her ova, we had ulterior motives, until you found them. We had to adjust rather quickly, and that's when the placebos came into play. Now, we believe that your child could be a great asset to us." 

"You won't be laying a hand on our child. There's nothing about it that you could use for whatever the hell you're trying to do."

"Ah, Mr. Mulder, I don't think you understand. Since you've been exposed to the black oil, and Dr. Scully has the implant in her neck, we believe that this child could do extraordinary things. I'll be in touch." He said, leaving Mulder standing there dumbfounded at the knowledge given to him. 

Mulder watched the cigarette smoking son of a bitch disappear into the shadows that he crawled out of, and ran his hand through his hair, exasperated. He didn't know how to handle this new insight, but knew the first thing he needed to do was inform Scully. Since their relationship had progressed so much, he knew he couldn't hide this from her. 

He solemnly made his journey home, knowing he was going to have to face a conversation he wasn't sure how to approach. He didn't want to stress Scully out, but he also knew it was more important to not exclude her from this. He let out a heavy sigh as he pulled into their driveway. 

When he entered, she was sitting on the couch with her mother. He was caught off guard by the company, and immediately had to compose himself and shake his apprehensive mood. 

"Mrs. Scully, it's good to see you." He said as he greeted her with a hug. 

"Fox, it's Maggie. I don't know how many times I have to tell you. I hope you don't mind the intrusion. I brought dinner." She said with a warm smile. 

"Of course not, it's always nice to have you here." He said, trying to muster a smile. Scully could instantly sense that something was off with him, but chalked it up to his lunch with his mother. 

Maggie made her way into the kitchen to check on dinner, and Scully stepped over in front of Mulder to properly greet him.

"Hey, how was your lunch?" She asked after placing a kiss on his lips.

"It was definitely one for the books. I'm just glad to be home." He said returning her kiss. 

They had a pleasant dinner, though Mulder stayed relatively quiet throughout the course of the evening. Maggie and Scully carried the conversation, and he just smiled as he was addressed. Scully had seen him after lunches with his mother before, but this was different, there was something more. Her nervousness began to rise as she hoped that their discussion didn't cause any doubt in his mind. 

Maggie made her way home, excusing herself from the evening. Mulder escaped upstairs to take a shower, and Scully knew she had to approach whatever was wrong with caution. When he came from the bathroom, she was sitting on the edge of their bed with her hands folded in her lap. 

"Let me guess, we need to talk?" She said quietly. 

"Yes, but it's not what I can tell you might be thinking." He said as he sat next to her, and pulled her into him. She cuddled into him deeper for the comfort, and he kissed the top of her head. 

"I take it your lunch didn't go well today?" 

"It was nothing that I could ever have expected. My mother was rather confused about our relationship, but she knows about the baby now at least. Good news, she's sending some mundane housewarming gift our way." 

"What's got you so down then, I've never seen you in this much of a slump after meeting with your mom." She said, staying in their embrace. She stiffened as she mulled over his previous words. "What, um, did you say, about our relationship? You said she was confused..." Her voice drifted off, afraid of his response.

"I just told her as it is. I mean, I didn't really know what to call us, other than partners. But that's not what bothered me the most." He let out a heavy sigh, increasing his hold on her subtly. He still wasn't ready to divulge into the full conversation, so he deflected slightly. "She, uh, questioned the baby, given our past. I got angry, and defensive. She asked if I knew for sure it was mine. I told her I didn't care even if it wasn't, because it was with you." His voice began to trail off. 

"Mulder, that's awful. I didn't think she would be so cold hearted about everything." She said, hugging him tighter for reassurance. "Do - uh, do you mean that though? Would you really still stick around if the baby wasn't yours?" She asked, with genuine interest. She never doubted his devotion to her, but was curious about just how deep that ran. 

"Of course I would, Scully. I, uh, was more affected by losing Emily than I let on. She was part of you, and I thought that was beautiful. I would have stuck around even then, if you would have let me, and things didn't end so tragically." He said, closing his eyes, and kissing her forehead. He could feel her fighting back her emotions. 

"Mulder, that - that means a lot to me. I never knew that. I'm sorry I pushed you away then, I just felt like I had to deal with it on my own. I should have let you in sooner." She said, turning her head to face him. He leaned down and placed a powerful kiss between them. 

"We weren't ready for that then, it's okay. But, um, I do have more..." He said, not wanting to break their moment. He scoffed at his horrible timing, but didn't know when he would gain his courage again. "Scully, I need you to not overreact by what I'm about to tell you."

"That's not exactly a great lead into a conversation to ease my nerves, Mulder." She said as she separated herself from him, sitting up straight. 

"I know, I'm sorry. I'm not handling this very well, but I knew I couldn't hide it from you." He said with a breathy sigh. "Just, promise me you'll let me explain everything that I know, before you react." 

"I will do my best, but I make no promises." She said, eyebrow arching in suspicion. He smiled at her, and knew he had to continue. 

"The cigarette smoking bastard was waiting for me when I left, he said he was just checking up." Mulder scoffed. "He, uh, Scully he knew about the baby. I had hoped that we could escape from that, especially when I left the bureau. He said that they think the baby could be useful to them. No, Scully, wait." He said, stopping her from interrupting. "The bastards created two placebos and two actual vials of your ova. The first two trials...those were the placebos, that's why they didn't work." 

He began to worry about her lack of silence, but knew she needed a moment to gather her thoughts. It appeared that she was about to say things several times, but just closed her mouth, laying a protective hand over her stomach. 

"Mulder, wh - what do they want with our baby?" She asked in disbelief. 

"I don't know, Scully. But I'm not letting anything happen to us." He said as he pulled her back into his arms, cradling her for support.

"I'm surprised you haven't run off trying to find answers already." She said with a breathy chuckle. 

"I'm a changed man, but don't think it didn't occur to me. I wanted to talk to you first, though." 

"Wow, you are a changed man, that might be the most shocking revelation yet." She looked up at him with a smirk. He kissed her, and their worries dissipated slightly. 

"Wait, did you say there were two actual embryos?" She said, sitting up abruptly. 

"That's what he told me, but I don't know any more than that. Scully, I can investigate this, I want to. For us." He said cautiously. 

"Mulder, I think...I need to know where the other vial went. If there's another chance out there...I don't know." 

"I'll recruit the boys to look into it, find out as much as they can. I don't want to just go into this blindly, but I know we both need answers." 

"Thank you, for everything. I wouldn't be able to do this without you, as much as I originally thought I could." She said in an embarrassed, soft voice. 

"Hey..." He said, raising her gaze to meet his. "We both definitely made mistakes, but we're here now, together." He placed a kiss on her soft lips, and she deepened it, needing the contact. 

They made their way into bed, and she cuddled into his side. He wrapped her into his arms, and they began to drift off to sleep, both completely exhausted from their day. Just as he was fully surrendering to sleep, he heard her small voice whisper "I love you" just as she drifted off.

He smiled to himself, and cuddled in further to their entwinement. He wasn't sure what the future would bring, but he knew that they were stronger than before. 

* * *

It had been almost a week since they first moved into their house, and had the new revelations hit them full force. Mulder had accepted the help of the Gunmen, but there was a lull in the research. He had just hoped that they were safe until the baby was actually born. 

Since Scully's late night reveal, he had moved the ring he had for her from his office, to the house. He knew she wasn't ready for that step, but wanted to have it close by as a representation of their moving relationship. He hid it in the bottom drawer of the office desk, knowing she would never look there. 

He had a heavy workload for the week, and was looking forward to spending the weekend with Scully. They were planning to shop for the baby's room, and preparing to bring their miracle to life in just a few short months. 

"Lucy, I'm home!" He yelled as he strolled inside the house. 

"Make another Lucy joke, and you'll become reacquainted with your couch. I'm sure you miss it." She said as she came briskly into the living room, cleaning things along the way. 

"Woah, Scully. Where's the fire?"

"I ran into our new neighbors this morning, and somehow ended up inviting them to dinner. So I spent my day cleaning and emptying all the boxes. I lost track of time, so I had to put a halt on that and start making dinner. Now I'm just finishing with picking up, and I-" She was stopped as he came up behind her, and turned her by her hips to face him. He planted a deep kiss on her lips, and she relaxed into his embrace. 

"You're right, that really does work." He said, smirking at her. 

"Sorry, this day just went by so fast, and I still feel like I have so much to do." 

"Well, what can I help with?" He said as he clapped his hands together with enthusiasm. 

"You can start by picking up your things and putting them away." She said, glancing at his strewn jacket and briefcase by the door. 

"Yes dear." He said as he kissed the end of her nose and went to gather his things. 

They had smoothly worked together to get ready for the impromptu dinner, and their neighbors arrived right on time. They were both nervous, given they haven't really done anything publicly as a couple. They were still unsure how to establish their relationship, because they felt that no words could describe what they truly were. 

"Hi, come on in, this is, uh, Mulder. Mulder, this is Jennifer and Dave from next door." She said making the introductions. 

"It's nice to meet you, Mulder. Family name?" Dave asked, curious about the unusual name. 

"Uh, last name actually. Not as fortunate to have a normal name." He said, making casual pleasantries. 

They escorted them into the dining area, and settled at the table for pre-dinner drinks. 

"If your last name is Mulder, yours is still Scully, right?" Jennifer asked with genuine interest. 

"Oh, um, we're not..." Scully began to stammer out. An embarrassed look clouded Jennifer's face. 

"I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to assume anything. I always do that, I have such a big mouth sometimes." She said as she took a sip of her wine. 

"Don't worry about it, Scully and I are often confused ourselves." Mulder said, trying to lighten the mood as he nudged her shoulder. She shook her head with a smile. 

"So you call her by her last name, what's the story there?" Dave asked as he took a swig of his beer. 

"We, uh, worked for the FBI for a few years. We were partners for about 5 years until our unit closed down, and I got transferred to Salt Lake City. I was there for a few months, but got homesick, and here I am." Scully said, trying to keep the details of their twisted story to a minimum. She knew their life was anything but normal, and often people just didn't understand it. 

"So you've been together for...how long?" Jennifer asked, fascinated by their story already. 

"Uh, just about 3 months, officially." Mulder said, adding emphasis to his final word. 

They both could tell that their neighbors had more questions, but didn't want to pry too much. They didn't want to offer more information that they weren't asked to share. The rest of the evening had gone by without incident, and they got to know each other as much as conversation would allow. Once their neighbors made their exit, Scully plopped onto their couch, and rubbed her belly in exhaustion. 

"That was fun, we should do that more often, like once a year instead of never." Mulder said as he sat next to her. She chuckled and shook her head.

"It wasn't that bad, Mulder. You're such a party pooper." 

"Pary pooper, Scully? No need for name calling here." He said, teasing her. He pulled a plate that he hid on the table on the side of the couch. "I guess I'll have to enjoy this dessert all by myself then, I don't share with bullies." 

"You should know that withholding dessert from a pregnant woman is a fatal mistake. I still know how to use a gun, Mulder." She said, licking her lips, and raising her eyebrow. 

He chuckled and handed her the plate and fork. He enjoyed watching her find bliss in the littlest things. After she finished the dessert, they made their way to bed. They were both exhausted from their week, and knew the weekend was full of baby supply shopping. 

The next morning as Mulder was showering, Scully made her way downstairs to look through some of the parenting magazines that she had stowed away. She remembered throwing them in the office quickly as she was cleaning up before dinner the night prior. She made her way into the small room, and was shuffling through papers. She was getting frustrated, swearing that she stored them on the desk. She began digging through the drawers, and moving things around to find what she was looking for. As she slammed the bottom drawer, she heard something slide across the wood. She furrowed her brow in confusion, and opened the drawer again. She moved some more stuff around, and found the small, velvet box. She gasped as she shakily pulled it out of the drawer, and held it in her hand, afraid to open it. 

It's not that she hadn't thought about it, she just didn't know if she was ready for that step. Everything with Mulder had happened so fast, yet, she felt like she had been waiting for it for years. Her heart rate began to quicken as she just held the box, unopened in her spread out palm. 

"Did you open it?" Mulder asked, leaning against the door. She jumped at his voice, and immediately felt as though she had been caught. 

"Mulder! I, uh, was looking for...something, and I - I'm sorry, I didn't mean to..." She was stammering. He looked unfazed by her accidental discovery, and just nodded at her. 

"Open it." He said gently. 

"No, Mulder. I don't want to ruin...anything." 

"Just open it, Scully. I want you to see it." He said, maintaining the calm tone in his voice. She was almost unnerved by how nonchalant he was being about this moment, and shakily opened the box. She gasped and covered her mouth at the sight of the ring. It was a vintage, 3 carat princess cut diamond that was decorated with small diamonds on each side. She had never seen something so exquisite. 

"Mulder, this is - I don't even have words for this." She said, fighting back the tears. 

"It was my great-grandmother's. Something passed down through generations, and I happen to inherit it somehow. I, uh, had it resized though." He said shyly. 

"How long have you had this?" She asked in disbelief. 

"Look, Scully, I know you're not ready for this. I'm not asking, yet. I just want you to know that that's the commitment I'm making in this. I never want you to doubt anything about us." He began to nervously run through his thoughts. 

"Mulder, how long have you had this?" She asked again, with more persistence in her voice. 

"I, uh, went looking for it through my things when you were abducted. I got it resized after your cancer went into remission." He said in a small voice he wasn't even sure she could hear. He knew she heard when he looked up and saw the wide-eyed expression on her face. "Scully?" 

"I - I don't know what to say. I just, I need a minute." She said as she gently placed the ring on the desk. She quickly slipped past him out of the door, and ignored his pleas to stop her. He thought she would hide out in their bedroom, but his anxiety began to build when he heard the front door close. 

He bolted from his spot in the office, and hurried through the kitchen to the front living room. He threw the front door open and saw her peeling out of their driveway with tears in her eyes. He stood on their front doorstep, defeated. 

Scully had been gone for several hours, and Mulder was losing his mind. He should have expected this from her, but he thought they had moved forward from this. He knew she wasn't ready, but he technically never asked. He was trying to piece together which detail caused her to flee. His waiting was creating an excessive amount of doubt, so he desperately needed to clear his head. He prepared for a run to release the built up anxiety. 

He had ran longer than usual, and when he returned, his heart sank at the empty spot in their driveway. She still hadn't returned home, and it was getting late. He had called her cell several times and left a few messages. He wanted her to come home so that they could talk about whatever happened, but he mostly wanted to ensure that she was okay. He became so exhausted from worry and his run, he drifted off to sleep on the couch, the sound of mindless television filling the silence of the room. 

Mulder hadn't realized how exhausted the day's events had made him, and slept longer than he had anticipated. As he began to rouse from his nap, he stiffened as he felt a weight against him. He immediately sobered, and took in his surroundings. He smiled at the top of the redheaded figure he knew so well, cuddled into his side.

Scully had finally made her arrival, and was nervous about returning home. She knew she panicked, and overreacted, but she didn't know how to confront her feelings just yet. When she returned, she entered cautiously, and saw Mulder sleeping on the couch. She crept in quietly, and noticed the pained look bestowed upon his face, even in his sleep. She crawled onto the couch as carefully as her pregnant stomach would allow, and melded herself into his side, burying herself between him and the cushions of the couch. She knew they would hopefully move past this, but needed the closeness for reassurance. 

She could feel him stir awake, and let out a shaky breath, knowing she needed to face this head on. 

"I'm sorry..." She whispered, her head still facing away from him. 

"I know." He said genuinely, as he began to run his hands up and down her arms. She buried herself further into him in response. 

"I overreacted, I - I'm not ready, I wasn't ready to face those feelings. This has all been a lot for me, but I wouldn't imagine doing any of this with anyone else. I need you to know that I wasn't running from you, I was running more from myself." She managed nervously. 

"Scully, I understand. I wasn't necessarily thrilled about how it was handled, and I went absolutely crazy around here today, but more than anything, I just missed you." He said, leaning forward to place a kiss on the top of her head. She sighed into the contact, and increased the grasp she had on him, never wanting to let go. 

"I missed you, too. Can I still plead pregnancy hormones?" She asked, trying to lighten the mood. She smiled as she felt his chuckle in his chest. 

"I suppose, but you know, Scully, you only have a few more months to use that excuse. Do you expect to take full advantage?" 

"Absolutely, with anything and everything that I can." She said as she finally lifted her face to meet his. He enclosed his lips on hers in a passionate kiss. He finally broke from the embrace, and cradled his hand over her face, gazing at her with such love in his eyes. "I really am sorry." She whispered. 

"It's okay, really. I didn't mean to freak you out like that, that's why it was clearly so well hidden." He said, teasing her. "I'll try to hide it better next time." 

"Do - does that mean you're not giving it to me?" She asked in a timid voice.

"I would be more than happy to give it to you properly, but I know you're not ready, so I'll wait." He said, kissing the tip of her nose. He was trying to extract her genuine feelings, knowing she was avoiding the issue. 

"Oh, yeah. Thanks, I guess." 

"Something wrong, Scully?" He said, trying to suppress the amused smirk on his face. He knew he had to pry her feelings from her. 

"No, I just-" She let out a sigh. "I just thought that me discovering it meant that we, I don't know. Mulder, I know I didn't exactly handle things well, but I was hoping that after talking we..." She said, stammering and not being able to make full sentences. He knew he had to put her out of her misery, but he was going to enjoy this moment just a little while longer. 

"Hey, don't worry about it. It'll happen when the time is right for us." 

"Yeah, you're right. I'm going to, uh, take a shower. I'll be upstairs for a little while." She said as she untangled herself from him on the couch. She had hoped that when she came home, they would have the discussion, and move forward in their relationship. She knew that she was to blame for their stalemate, but was hoping he would know her well enough to push through her stubbornness. 

Mulder smiled to himself, knowing he had her just where he wanted her. He had plans for his proposal, but since she found the ring, he had to move some things around to speed up the timing. He knew she would sulk in her feelings overnight, but tomorrow, all those doubts would hopefully vanish. He smiled to himself, knowing that regardless of what darkness they might have to face in their future, he could give her this promise of happiness. 


	7. Chapter 7

The next morning they were getting ready to run errands and do some shopping for the nursery. Scully had been somewhat quiet and distant since their conversation the night before. Mulder had craftily left the ring box on the counter over night, leaving it out for her to see. She repeatedly snuck glimpses throughout the morning, and Mulder had to stifle his amusement. 

"We should get going, we've got a lot of places to hit up. Let me just put some things away, and then I'm ready." He said as he grabbed the small box off the counter. She pouted slightly and made her way to the car. He smiled to himself and snuck the ring into his inside jacket pocket. 

They made their way through several stores, picking up things here and there along the way. He managed to map it out so that they ended up near the Hoover Building towards the end of the day. Scully had been sulking in her own feelings, and was too stubborn to notice their trail. 

Before moving forward with his plan, he needed to ensure that he was reading her correctly last night, after they talked. He casually diverted them to the Reflecting Pool, and situated them on their favorite bench. 

"I just figured we could use a break." He said smiling at her. 

"Yeah, that's probably a good idea. I feel like we've been going all day." She said exhaustedly as she rubbed her hand over her stomach. She paused her hand in one spot, and smiled. She reached over for Mulder's hand, and placed it gently on her stomach, wordlessly. He didn't ask questions, he just waited, until he felt the small flutter against his palm. 

"Scully...is that?" He asked in a whisper. She just smiled at him and nodded her head. "That's incredible." He said in disbelief. 

"Yeah, it is." She replied in a hushed tone. "Our baby, Mulder." She said, fighting back the tears in her eyes. He leaned his forehead against hers, and cradled her face in his hands. 

"I love you." He said as his mouth lingered above hers. This was the first time he had really said it directly, and was scared for her response, or lack thereof. 

She pulled back to gaze into his eyes, and could see the passion behind them. She knew she panicked yesterday at the accidental discovery, and had been fearful that it would affect any future plans. Looking at him now, she knew how deep Mulder's feelings truly ran. She could sense him waiting for a response, and noticed the doubt beginning to cloud his face. 

"I - I love you, too." She said in a small, timid voice. He let out a heavy sigh, and enclosed his lips on hers, deepening their sentiments. 

"Come on, we have one more stop." He said mysteriously, as he reluctantly broke apart from her. He knew this moment was the reassurance he needed to finish his plan. 

"Where are you taking me?" She asked as her eyebrow began to arch.

"It's a surprise, Scully." 

"Kidnapping is a chargeable offense, Mulder." She mocked. He chuckled in response, and grabbed her hand, leading her towards the car. 

He settled her into the passenger seat, and took his time making his way to the driver's side. He made a quick phone call, and she looked at him accusingly as he got in the car himself. 

"Who'd you call?" She asked, eyebrow raising higher.

"Just a friend. You'll see soon." He said with a smirk on his face. 

"You're really not going to tell me anything?" She said in a small, sad voice, trying to convince him to tell her. 

"You know, it's kind of cute that you think you can guilt me into telling you." He said glancing over at her. She scoffed and crossed her arms. 

"Fine, don't tell me." She said stubbornly. He let out a small chuckle as he turned into the parking garage of the Hoover Building. "Mulder, why are we here?" She asked with a furrowed brow, confused about this stop. 

"New rule, no more questions." He said as he parked in the empty lot. 

"That's not a very fair rule, considering one of us knows what's happening, and the other is being left in the complete dark here." She said unamused. 

"Okay, new new rule, no more talking." He said as he helped her out the car and kissed her. Her eyebrow rose to new levels, and she pursed her lips. He attempted to stifle a laugh, he loved seeing her like this. "Just, work with me here, Scully. Please?" 

She just gestured for him to lead the way, not saying anything else. He smiled to himself as he grabbed her hands and headed inside. The security guard was at his post, waiting for their arrival. 

"Hank, my man. Thanks for helping me out with this." Mulder said as he grabbed a small envelope from his hands. 

"No problem, I just do as I'm asked. The bossman left these for you earlier. I don't even want to know." He said as he shook his head. Mulder chuckled and winked at him as he led Scully further down the hall towards the elevators. 

They got in the elevator, and Mulder trapped her against the wall with his body, kissing her deeply. As suspicious as she was about everything, she melted into his embrace, and wrapped her arms around his neck. He sneakily pressed the button for the basement without her noticing. He kept her preoccupied until the beep alerted him that they had reached their destination. 

"We're here." He said as he smiled into her mouth. She licked her lips and composed herself, and glanced around at their surroundings. She immediately recognized the familiar basement hallway, and gave him a puzzled look. 

He led her to their old office door, and pulled the small envelope from his pocket. He pulled out a set of keys, and unlocked the dark room, leading her inside. When he turned on the lights, she was amazed by the sight before her. 

They had restored the office since it went up in flames, but that's not what surprised her the most. The entire room was like stepping through a time portal. It was exactly the same as she remembered it when her and Mulder used to call it their own. It brought tears to her eyes, and she smiled at the 'I Want To Believe' poster hanging in its familiar spot. 

Mulder quietly crept up behind her, and wrapped her into an embrace. He leaned down to kiss her neck, and whispered into her ear.

"This is only part of the surprise, ready for the main event?" He asked cautiously. She just nodded against him, and he kissed the side of her temple.

He grabbed the spray paint can from the shelf, and drew a small 'X' on the ground in the middle of the office. She smiled and looked at him quizzically at the antics happening around her. Realization hit when he knelt down on one knee, just before the 'X' he painted on the floor. Scully's eyes grew wide as he looked up at her, and cradled her hands in his. 

"I figured it was time to put you out of your misery." He said, grinning up at her. "Scully, I know this room has a lot of memories for us, both good and bad, but my favorite memory is the one I have of you first walking through that door, into my life. We've definitely had our differences, but it's what makes us work. Plus, I honestly don't know who else would put up with me." He smiled, and she chuckled, holding back tears in her eyes. "I was so lost when you left, and I know that was a hard time for us, but somehow we made it through that, too. I would never imagine us being where we are today, but I can't say I didn't hope for it. I love you, and I am ready to face whatever next journey we find ourselves on. Will you do me the honor of being the one person to put up with me for the rest of my life?" He said, smiling up at her. 

She stood there, staring down at him, trying her hardest to hold back the tears threatening to escape her eyes. She was in such a mood all day, she had never expected this to happen. The effort that he went through to ensure that it was the perfect proposal for them brought a full grin to her face. She glanced around the room again, and just shook her head in amazement. She realized she hadn't answered him, and noticed the anxiety beginning to build inside of him. 

"Mulder..." She said with a loving smile on her face. She gripped his hands tighter, and he nervously smiled at her. "I would be happy to be the person who has to keep tabs on you for the rest of our lives." She said, teasing back at his light hearted proposal. He chuckled and stood, catching her lips with his on his way up. He engulfed her in his arms, and she wrapped hers around his neck. 

"I knew I had some pretty high chances going into today, but I still can't believe you said yes." He said, teasing her. 

"I couldn't get rid of you even if I wanted to, trust me, I've tried." 

"Well with that attitude, I don't know if I should give you this ring." He said, glancing away from her. 

"Mulder..." She whined. "That's the only reason I said yes though." She said, teasing back. He chuckled and separated from their embrace enough to pull the small box out of his pocket. 

"I think this has always been yours." He said softly as he slid the ring on her finger. She looked at him and couldn't hold back her tears any longer. She replayed the revelations he told her about the ring the day before, and the emotions overcame her. She looked down at the ring on her finger, and let out a small sob. 

He pulled her into another embrace, and kissed her forehead. He let her ride out her emotions, and held her tighter. She finally looked up at him, and he cradled her face in his hands. He wiped her tears away with his thumb, and leaned down to kiss her again. They broke apart, and just smiled at each other in complete bliss, enjoying this moment. 

"How did you even manage all of this?" She asked, composing herself and taking in her surroundings again. 

"I'm just that good, Scully." He leered at her. She responded with a raise of her eyebrow, and he just chuckled at the familiar look. "I managed to sweet talk Skinner into letting me know when they finished rebuilding the office. I wasn't planning to do this so soon, but _someone_ caused a quick change of plans." He said as he kissed the tip of her nose. "I had the boys come in and set everything up perfectly last night." 

"And what did that cost you?" 

"Well, Frohike held a strong wager, but we settled on the middle name of Melvin for our little bundle." 

"I hope you at least find yourself funny." She said as she glared at him, trying to mask her smirk. "That was sweet of them, of all of them, to help out like this. When - uh, when were you planning to ask me originally?" 

"Well, I was trying to take things slow, because I didn't think you were ready. I wasn't really sure when I planned on doing it, but I meant what I said, this ring has always been yours. Scully, when you were abducted, I felt like a part of me was missing. I think I knew, even then, how important you were to me. When you came back, I was just scared of your rejection, so I never told you how I felt. When the - the, uh, cancer came, I felt like I was losing the best part of me. When it went into remission, I swore to myself that I wouldn't waste another minute. We, uh, know how that one worked out." He paused, smiling sheepishly at her. "When you left, I went after you. I never told you that..." His voice drifted off. 

"You - you came to Salt Lake City?" She asked incredulously. 

"Uh, yeah, I did. About a week after you left and I had time to realize I was being an idiot for trying to be mad at you, I hopped on the first flight." 

"Wh - what happened?" 

"I was on my way to your headquarters, and saw you smiling with some other agent, I'm assuming. You just looked so...serene and content. When you were here, I feel like there was nothing but pain, and I couldn't take your happiness away from you, not again. So, I turned around, and left." He finished in a small voice.

"I wasn't happy. I hated it, and I - I missed you, especially in the beginning. If you would have talked to me, I probably would have followed you home. I'm sorry it took us so long to get here." She said in a whisper. 

"I think we got here when we were supposed to. We've never really been the conventional couple." He said, lightening the mood. She chuckled and leaned up to kiss him again. 

"I love you, I know I don't say it as much as I should, but I hope you know." She whispered into his mouth. 

"I do, and I love you, too." He said, kissing her to seal their new promises. "We should head to dinner, our guests are probably waiting." 

"Guests?" She asked with a furrowed brow, puzzled by his words.

"Uh, yeah. That's the final part of the surprise. We, uh, kind of have an engagement party to attend...ours." He said slyly. "I had to rearrange some things, but I managed to make it work." 

"You were so sure I was going to say yes?" She asked with a smirk on her face.

"What can I say, Scully? I believe in extreme possibilities." He said as they shared a chuckle. She shook her head at him, and they made their way to meet their family and friends to celebrate the newest development in their relationship. 

* * *

It had been weeks since Mulder's proposal, and they were enjoying their growing relationship. Scully's due date was slowly approaching, and their anticipation was rising. There had been little in the research into the Cigarette Smoking Man's claims, and they were getting anxious. They were planning to spend the weekend relaxing, but nothing was ever truly that easy for them. There was a knock at the door, and Scully looked at Mulder puzzled. He removed her feet from his lap, and got up from the couch to see who was interrupting their weekend. He sighed as he looked through the peephole, and laid his head against the door, not wanting to open it. 

"Fox, it's good to see you. I haven't had a chance to catch up since you moved." Diana Fowley said, standing on their doorstep. 

"Diana, what are you doing here?" Mulder asked cautiously. He knew there had been some tension since Diana first returned, but avoided any further interactions since he switched sections. He had fully stopped any contact with her after his relationship with Scully developed slowly. He knew there was no reason to even put a small doubt in her mind about anything. 

"I'm here on personal business. I was wondering if you could do me a favor, and assist me on this case I just need your expertise for." She said in a flirty tone. Scully could overhear the conversation happening, and knew she was out of eyeshot from the front door. She smiled to herself and stood from the couch. She walked towards the front, hand on her stomach, claiming her territory. 

"Mulder, who was at the door?" She feigned innocence as she came up behind him. Diana was still standing outside, and her eyes grew wide at the sight of Scully. 

"Uh, you remember Diana Fowley?" He paused, and Scully nodded slightly, never taking her eyes off the other woman. "She's here for a favor, but I was just about to inform her that I don't work for the FBI anymore. Sorry, Diana, I have other priorities at the moment." He said, turning his attention back to her on their doorstep. 

"I didn't realize there were so many, things, we clearly haven't caught up on." Diana said, glancing at Scully's stomach, and back towards Mulder. She was sent by the Cancer Man, with only the instructions to persuade him to cave on whatever arrangement he proposed. She didn't have many details, but could clearly see that she was going to have her work cut out for her.

"Yeah, we, uh, are engaged. It's definitely been an interesting journey for us." He said, smiling down at her. He wrapped his arm around her hip, pulling her closer to him. She just looked up and smiled back at him. 

"Well, call me, so we can talk. I look forward to hearing from you." Diana said with a tightlipped smile. She nervously excused herself, and made her way back to the car. 

Mulder and Scully exchanged looks, and were both rather confused by the abrupt visit. Scully was immediately put on alert, always sensing that Diana was playing against them. She knew there was a history between Mulder and this woman, but never inquired to find out the details. She could feel his nervous energy emitting from him as they sat back down together on the couch. 

"What do you think she wants?" Scully asked cautiously.

"I don't know. I haven't talked to her in months, and before she came back, years. I'm not interested in anything she wants though." He said sincerely. He could tell Scully was uneasy about the awkward encounter, and wanted to reassure her. 

"Okay...but, if you do talk to her, will you just, uh, tell me?" She said timidly. She didn't want to seem jealous, or overbearing, but she needed to put the idea out there. She knew Mulder had changed, in the sense that he didn't exclude her from his plans, or research, but she still had her apprehensions based on past events. 

"Of course, Scully. I would never keep anything from you, or make any plans without talking to you." He said sincerely, receiving a raised eyebrow in response. "Okay, anymore." He answered with a small chuckle. She shook her head at him, and cuddled into his side, needing the closeness. 

* * *

The weekend had passed, and he still hadn't called Diana to even tell her he wasn't interested in whatever favor she had for him. When he arrived to his office Monday morning, there was a small note just sitting on the top of his desk. Puzzled, he cautiously walked to pick it up, and paled at the words. His bliss from the weekend quickly diminished, and anger began to rise. 

_I have information about the baby. We need to talk._

_Call me._

_Diana_

He never wanted to believe that Diana would betray him, and started to feel like an idiot for trusting her so quickly again. He needed to find out what she knew, and how she received the information she had. He picked up the phone to call Scully, but didn't want to cause her stress without all the answers first. He knew it would drive her crazy if she only had a piece of the puzzle, and not the whole picture. He made another call instead. 

"Lone Gunmen." Frohike answered. 

"Hey, it's Mulder. I need a favor." He said hurriedly. 

"I am not an interior designer, find another goon to do your decorating this time." Frohike teased back.

"Ha ha, I do still owe you one for that, by the way. Scully nixed the middle name idea. Sorry man." He said with a chuckle. "I, uh, actually need some surveillance work. Diana Fowley, I'm sure you remember the name. I just need to know if she's been meeting with anyone, or making repeated calls to any specific number." He said generically. He wanted to give as little information as possible. 

"Uh, yeah, we can start looking through some records. Anything specific we are looking for? It's an interesting request, looking into your former chickadee." Frohike said with intrigue in his voice. Mulder winced, knowing how this situation looked, but couldn't provide more information until he had some definitive answers. 

"No, just get me anything you can that seems, suspicious. Call me when you know anything." He said, disconnecting the call to avoid further interrogation. He let out a heavy sigh, knowing who he needed to make the next call to. 

"Diana Fowley." She answered distractedly. 

"It's Mulder. I got your note." He said sternly, anger beginning to rise again. 

"Fox, hi. I didn't mean to address you like that, but I didn't have a choice since you wouldn't return my calls." She said bitterly. He had ignored several calls from her over the weekend, and eventually just turned his phone off, never even listening to her voice messages. 

"Well now I'm calling, so talk." He said deadpanned. 

"I don't want to do this over the phone. Can we meet somewhere for lunch?" She said, trying to sound innocent. 

"Yeah, whatever. I'll be taking lunch around 1. We can meet then." He said, trying to keep his emotions in check. He didn't want to let her know that he was angry, or even worried about the situation at hand. Anything he could prevent from her using against him, he was going to savor. They made their plans, and he disconnected the call, slamming the phone down as a final gesture. He closed his eyes, and sighed as he slumped into his chair. He knew that he should call Scully, but he wanted to wait, just until he had some shred more of information. 

He waited anxiously at the nearby restaurant for Diana, and sighed when he saw her make her entrance. He wasn't looking forward to having this conversation, and wished Scully was by his side. It was his own fault that he had to face this alone, but he knew Diana would limit her information with Scully around. 

"Fox, I'm glad we were able to meet." She said, feigning innocence as she sat at the table. 

"I'm just here about your note. What do you know?" He said bluntly, not interested in engaging in casual pleasantries. 

"Well I'll be honest with you, I don't know a lot. I've overheard some things on the inside, and I'm just worried for you." She said as she reached across the table to cover his hand with hers. He began to pull away, just as his phone was ringing, giving him even more of an excuse. 

"Sorry, I need to take this." He said, sliding out of his chair to step away for a moment. "Yeah, Mulder." 

"Looks like your former flame has been up to nothing good. She's been meeting with the bastard who smokes like a chimney almost every day for the last few months. I don't know, but I wouldn't trust her, Mulder." Frohike warned. 

"Any idea on what they've been talking about?" Mulder asked nervously. 

"Not that we can tell, they've been careful, only in person meetings. We are running more phone records, we'll let you know if we find more." He said before disconnecting the call. Mulder knew it was a risk in even meeting with her, now he knew she was only here on her own personal mission. He made his way back to the table, and knew he had to play this carefully. 

"Sorry, it was just a work call. Where were we?" He said deadpanned. 

"I just want to warn you, that I've heard some things about Dr. Scully's baby being in danger. I would never want anything to happen to you, Fox. I - I think it would be smart for you to distance yourself, until that threat is gone." She said carefully. She was only instructed to veer him away from Scully, persuade him that it would be the best option. 

"I would never leave her, so if that's your plan, you can just give up right now." He said, anger rising. "As far as her baby, I'm sure the cigarette smoking bastard failed to mention that it was my baby, too. That's right, you might want all of the facts before you go out on your special little missions." He said at the surprised look on her face. That was definitely a small detail she didn't know, regardless of her assumptions from the sight she witnessed the other day. 

She attempted to compose herself before responding, and hoped the shaking in her voice was masked by her professional tone. "I don't know all of the details, but I do know that that baby is a threat to them. I don't know why, or what they want, but you shouldn't fight them on this." 

"They seem to think _our_ baby can benefit their research. I don't know why, or how, but they're not laying a hand on me or my family. You can relay that message to your bosses as well." He said with finality in his voice. She went to say something else, but he got up from the table and left before she had the chance. He ignored her pleas, and briskly walked out the restaurant door, not even glancing back in her direction. He let out a heavy breath when he got to his car, and knew what he needed to do next. 

He had called work, and let them know he wouldn't be making it for his later class. He headed straight home, knowing it was Scully's off day, and was apprehensive about facing her. He parked in the driveway and sat in his car for a moment to collect his thoughts. 

"Mulder?" She called out as she came waddling in from the kitchen. 

"Hey, how are you feeling?" He asked sincerely, avoiding the conversation he knew they needed to have. 

"I'm just exhausted all of the time, but I'm feeling fine. Why are you home?" She asked, puzzled by his early arrival. 

"I - uh, just cancelled my last class for today." He said with a heavy sigh. He knew he couldn't hide this from her. "Scully, we need to talk." 

"Wh - what's wrong?" She asked nervously. He walked over to the couch and slumped onto it, letting out a deep breath. He gestured for her to sit next to him, hopefully making herself comfortable for the conversation they were about to have. 

"When I got to work today, there was a note from Diana. I - uh, kind of ignored her calls all weekend, and I guess this was the only way she could think to talk to me. The note said she knew something about our baby." He said in a small whisper, wincing at her arched eyebrow. "I just wanted to find out what she knew, so I met her for lunch. She's, uh, working for the Cigarette Smoking Man. I had the guys check into her before I went, and that's all they were able to find for now. She tried to get me to stay away from you, saying that the baby was in danger. I think that's all she knows, I left before she got a chance to try to tell me anything more." He finished in a small voice. 

He finally glanced up to face her, and could see the anger behind her eyes. Her jaw was clenched, and her eyebrow was arched to new, dangerous levels. He could see her trying to control her breathing and mask the rage flooding through her. 

"Why didn't you call me?" She finally said, in a bitter tone. 

"I just wanted to have more answers. Scully, that's why I came home early, so that I could tell you as soon as I had more information. I didn't mean to keep this from you." He said nervously. 

"So, not keeping this from me meant calling everyone else for help, except the person this entire situation actually involves?" She said accusingly. He winced at her tone, and knew this wasn't going to be as easy to bypass as before. 

"Scully, I really didn't mean to. I didn't want to stress you out if it was nothing." He said as he tried to reach for her hand. She retracted, folding her arms instead. 

"I'm pregnant, Mulder. That doesn't mean I can't be involved. Yes, maybe not out doing the dirty work, but you should have at least told me." She said, using her irritation to attempt to hide the tears. "You promised." She said in a whisper before getting up, and making her way to their room. He called after her several times, but she ignored him, and slammed the door behind her. 

He threw his head back against the couch, and closed his eyes at how wrong today had gone. He didn't want to keep any of this from her, and technically he didn't, but that's not how she saw it. He hoped that letting her have some space would eventually calm her down so that they could make a plan, together. 

She had locked herself up in the room for almost 3 hours, and Mulder's worry was growing. He didn't want to push her, but he knew if this argument festered too long, she would find more things wrong with it. He made his way quietly up to the room, and opened the door slowly. He was relieved to find it unlocked in the first place, he figured that was at least somewhat of a good sign. 

He crept toward the bed, and noticed that she had fallen asleep. She was so beautiful and content in this small moment of serenity, he didn't want to wake her. He gently sat on the bed next to where she lay, and tucked a stray hair behind her ear. He leaned forward, and softly placed a kiss on her forehead. She subconsciously hummed at the contact, and he smiled to himself. 

After reveling in watching her sleep for a few more minutes, he began to move off the bed. He was stopped by her small, barely audible voice. 

"Don't go." She whispered, still rousing from her nap. 

"Scully, I didn't mean to wake you." He said sincerely, turning his body back to face hers. 

"I've been awake for a minute." She said as her eyes fluttered open to meet his. He smiled shyly at her, and she just licked her lips, replaying the events of today. 

"I'm sorry, I really am. I wish I could give you some lame excuse about why I didn't call you sooner, but I can't. I'm really trying to not screw this up, but old habits die hard." He said with a small shrug. She chuckled lightly at the sad puppy look on his face. 

"Don't do it again, Mulder. This is _our_ baby, _our_ family. I don't care how bad the information is, I want to be the one who knows first." She said, glaring at him. 

"I know, and you will be, from now on. I promise, every decision, we make together." He said as he reached for her hand, this time, she didn't pull away. He interlocked their fingers and brought her hand to his lips for a feather soft kiss. "I love you." 

"I'm still mad at you, but I love you, too." She said as a small smirk appeared on her face. He smiled back at her, and laid down, allowing her to cuddle into his side. They knew there were going to be challenges with such a sensitive subject, but they had some small reassurance that they would make it through together. 

* * *

It had been a quiet rest of the week since the newest revelations had come to light, and nothing further had been exposed. There was anxiety clouding over everyone as the inevitable due date approached. Scully had decreased her days at the hospital, much to Mulder's persistence, and was trying to preoccupy her mind on her days off. It was his early day, so she was waiting just waiting for him to get home. He had called earlier in the day, telling her he had some news, and nothing she did eased her mind from bouncing in every wrong direction. 

"Woman, I'm home! Where's my dinner?" He teased as he walked through the door. He didn't get a response, but heard her moving around in the kitchen. 

"Want to ask me that again?" She said with a knife in her hand. 

"I seem to have forgotten what that question was already, funny how that works." He said as he strolled towards her and removed the knife from her hand, placing it on the counter before embracing her in his arms. "Remember that I love you." He said as he kissed the top of her nose.

"How long do you plan to use that cop out, Mulder?" She said with a smirk, settling herself more into their embrace. 

"Um, I was thinking for the rest of my life." He leered at her and they enjoyed this moment of bliss. They were broken from their moment when his cell phone rang. He sighed and placed a quick kiss on her lips before separating to answer the call.

"Mulder." He answered, slightly annoyed.

"We've got something. Not over the phone, can you meet in person?" Byers said. 

"Uh, yeah." He said, glancing towards Scully. "Why don't you guys head over here?" 

"We'll be there in an hour." He said quickly before disconnecting. Mulder hung up and could instantly read the question on her face. 

"The boys have something, I don't know what, but they're coming over to tell us, if that's okay?" He asked cautiously. 

"That's fine." She said quietly. 

"I'm getting some mixed signals here, Scully." He said as he stepped towards her again. 

"Sorry, I think I'm just nervous about whatever information they might have." She said as she let out a heavy sigh. He leaned forward to kiss her forehead for reassurance. They waited anxiously for their guests to arrive. 

When the Gunmen showed up about an hour later, they all situated themselves in the living room. They could instantly tell by the looks on their faces that this wasn't exactly good news. 

"So, what did you guys find?" Mulder asked, exhaling the breath he was holding in. 

"Well, after doing some more surveillance on Diana, she eventually led us to a lab. Naturally, we did some excellent recon work and uh, we think we found more vials." Frohike said as he glanced over at Scully. Her head was down, and her grip on Mulder's hand tightened. 

"We didn't get a good look inside before their men caught our signal on their video feed, but we figured out how to fix that problem for next time, uh, if we go back..." Byers said carefully. He looked at Mulder with a question in his eyes, and he knew exactly what he was asking. 

"Thanks, for bringing this to us. We'll have to, uh, discuss whether or not we'll plan to return." Mulder said, answering for what he thought would satisfy Scully. She didn't say anything, she just wordlessly got up and made her way to the kitchen. He excused himself, and let them know he'd be right back. "Scully...?" 

"I don't know, Mulder. I don't know if I want you out there pulling these heists again. I thought we got away from all of that." She scoffed. 

"I know, and I did, too. But we didn't exactly go looking for this, it's more about protecting the threat on our family. If we can get the other vial, I have a plan. I don't know if it'll work, but I'll need to have that as security first." He said calmly. 

"Are you going to enlighten me about your little plan here?" She said with a raised eyebrow. 

"Yes, but only if we agree to move forward with this first. I'm not putting ideas in your head that don't need to be there." He said, approaching her to place a gentle kiss to her temple. 

"Okay..." She said in a small whisper.

"Okay?" He asked cautiously, not completely positive about what she was agreeing to. 

"I think you should go with them." She said timidly. 

"Scully, I'm only doing this if we both are absolutely positive." 

"I am, I need this just as much as you do. But you need to promise me that the minute you sense trouble, you leave." She said sternly.

"I promise. I won't risk anything that's not necessary. Scully, you're sure?" 

"I'm sure." She said with a finalized nod. They shared a promising kiss, and made their way back into the living room to finish planning. They had agreed to sneak in on the weekend, figuring there would be less security around. 

Scully was apprehensive about the entire thing, but she knew they both really needed this. They wouldn't have any ease about their predicament if they didn't at least try. As a group, they made plans for tomorrow night, and the Gunmen left to finish setting up the equipment they would need, and testing any errors they encountered on the first run. 

When Mulder and Scully settled themselves into their bed, she cuddled into his side as much as she could manage. She tightened her grip on him, and he smiled down at the top of her head that was resting on his chest. 

"Miss me already, Scully?" He teased, trying to lighten the mood of the situation.

"I'm just nervous, I won't be there to have your back, and so many things can go wrong." She said in a timid voice.

"Hey, you should know by now I'm pretty much indestructible." 

"It's that mentality of yours that worries me." 

"Find yourself in the heart of a few conspiracies, and she doesn't trust you anymore." He said with a sigh. She chuckled into his chest, and finally glanced up to face him. They were both nervous about what tomorrow would bring, and wanted to enjoy this moment. He leaned down to kiss her, putting a promise behind his sentiments. 

"Scully, I need to know, if I do find the other vial..." He let his voice trail off with the question implied. 

"I - I don't know. I would want to check for viability. If it is, I don't know, Mulder. I didn't ever think it was even a possibility in the first place, and now there's a chance I could have another. A second miracle." She said in a whisper.

"Well, I'm sure you never imagined doing any of this with me, but I would love to grow our family if given the opportunity. If you would have told me a year ago I would be doing this with my life, I would have checked if your blood was green." He said jokingly. 

"Funny." She said, trying to hide her smirk. "You're wrong though..." She said in a hushed voice. She looked at him and smiled at the quizzical look on his face. "I have imagined this with you."

He could see the truth in her eyes, and smiled at her. He leaned down to kiss her, securing their feelings. He made himself more comfortable, letting her cuddle into his side further. They didn't know what tomorrow's events would mean for their future, but they had this small moment of happiness to hold onto. 


	8. Chapter 8

Everyone's nerves were on edge as they made their final plans for the evening. Scully's anxiety was rising as the time for Mulder to leave approached, and she was beginning to have more doubts. She escaped to their room, needing a minute to collect her thoughts. After giving her some time, Mulder made his way to find her, knowing what was wrong already. 

"Say the word, and I stay home tonight." He said as he walked into their room. She was sitting on the end of the bed, with her hands resting on her stomach, and her head facing downward towards her lap. 

"We both know I can't do that. We need this, I'm just worried." She said in a small voice, avoiding his eyes. He approached her carefully, and sat behind her, situating her between his legs. She closed her eyes, letting out a heavy sigh as she leaned back against him. 

"Scully, I promise you I won't risk this." He said as he rested his hands on top of hers that lay on her stomach. "This, is too important to me. I walked away from the conspiracies and the quests, because that didn't matter to me as much as this does. I probably would have gotten myself killed already if you didn't come back into my life. I was careless, because I didn't think I had anything to come home to, but now I do. The minute there is trouble, I am out of there. You have to trust me." 

"I do trust you, Mulder. You're the only one I trust, you know that. That doesn't keep me from worrying about you though. I know it's a solid plan, but they barely got out last time. I just need you to come home." 

"I will be home, snoring in your ear later tonight, I promise." He said, trying to lighten the mood. She chuckled lightly, and leaned further into him. 

"I doubt I'll be sleeping, but I am looking forward to that." She said before turning her head just enough to face him. He leaned down and kissed her on the lips, hoping to put enough reassurance and promise behind his kiss. 

"I love you." He said before leaning down to peck her lips again. "I gotta get ready, we should be leaving soon." He said in a small voice. She just nodded and he reluctantly separated himself from their embrace. She let out a shaky breath as he made his way to get ready for the evening. She licked her lips nervously, and closed her eyes again in distress. She just bowed her head and said a silent prayer. 

* * *

Mulder and the Gunmen made their way in their surveillance van to park near the laboratory that they visited before. They had the blueprints laid out, and set up the earpieces. They agreed that Byers and Mulder would go inside, while Langly and Frohike remained the lookout. Nerves were all running high, knowing how much was on the line. 

They made it through the first part of security without incident, and so far things were smooth sailing. They were right in assuming that weekend security would be lighter, but were still ready for any surprises that may arise. When they came to a long hallway with several doors, Mulder and Byers agreed to each check a side of the hallway. They were coming up empty, with empty labs, until Byers found a locked door that they needed to wait for the others to open. When he did, he found something similar to what they had seen before when they first found Scully's ova.

"Mulder, I think this is it." He said apprehensively. They began to creep inside, making sure to clear the room before fully searching. 

They began opening drawers, and finding names and files of what they assumed were abductees. Mulder promptly went to find Scully's name, and what he found was definitely not what he was expecting. He grabbed the container from Byers, and took the contents from the drawer with Scully's name. 

As soon as he removed it from the drawer, a silent alarm sounded, notifying the others. They began to panic, and urged them to escape, immediately. They had to make several turns, avoiding the security, and eventually had to find an empty room to hide in. The detail doubled, and they were doing thorough searches of the entire facility. 

Every time they approached the door where Mulder and Byers were hidden, the other two would create some diversion on the opposite end of the complex, and manually locked the door, causing the security to either become distracted, or unable to open the door quickly. While they were hidden, Mulder devised another plan to escape their current predicament. 

"We need to split up, and I need you to take the contents to the van, and go." He said hurriedly. 

"No, we aren't leaving you here." Byers urged, knowing what was at stake. 

"It's the only way we are going to get out of this with what we came here for. I'm going to make a run for it, and pull them to the other side of the building, they'll all be focused on me, you just need to get out to the van, and leave. Go straight back to your place, and keep the container frozen. You guys get that?" He said, including the others in their ears. 

"Yeah, but Mulder..." Frohike began to say.

"No, that's how we are going to get out of this. I need you to tell me when most of them are on the other side, and there's only a few of them over here, so I drive them away with the others. Then, you need to lead Byers out as quickly as possible." He paused, trying to mask the worry in his voice with confidence in his plan.

He waited for their cue, and when they said, Mulder made a break for it out of the room. There were only three guards in his corridor, so he was able to quickly lead them away from Byers' location. He ran through the empty halls, straight towards the other guards, and found himself in a standstill. He quickly assessed his surroundings, and began to climb up towards the roof. When he reached the top, he had a good head start on his followers, and could see the van slowly start to drive away. 

"We got Byers, Mulder get the hell out of there. We can wait for you." Frohike said with urgency. 

"I don't think that's an option right now boys, just leave and get that container to safety." He said, trying to rapidly think of his next move. He could see the water that surrounded the building, and knew that was going to be his quickest escape. He began to hear the guards gaining on him, and didn't have much time to think of anything better. "Tell Scully I'm sorry." He said before removing his earpiece and throwing it in the water, following its direction. 

The Gunmen were at a loss as to what happened, and didn't want to leave their location. They had driven far enough away for safety, but remained close enough to hopefully find Mulder. They drove to where the water's end was, but there was no sight of him. They knew they had agreed to do as he told them, but couldn't just leave him out there. The last thing they wanted to do was call Scully, but their paranoia was building. They finally all agreed to leave, getting the contents to safety, and hopefully waiting for contact from Mulder. 

By the time they made it to their lair, it was almost 2:00 am, and there was no word from Mulder. They had discreetly circled the complex several more times, and were unable to find him. They all cringed at the 2 voicemails they had on their machine. 

_Hey, it's Scully. I know you guys probably won't get this until you get back, and hopefully by then Mulder is home, but you have been gone for hours, and I haven't heard any updates. Just, uh, call me when you get this. Thanks._

They all three glanced at each other, realizing that was left several hours after they had been gone. They could hear the worry in her voice, and knew that they would have to call her eventually. 

_It's Scully again. It's late, and I need to hear from someone, now. Call me as soon as you get this. What the hell is going on?!_

That time they all winced at the tone in her voice. They all three let out a heavy breath, and knew what they had to do. 

"Where the hell is he?!" She said answering the phone after the first ring.

"We don't know..." Frohike said carefully. "When they found something, it set off a silent alarm, and they were hiding for a while. Mulder devised a plan to split up and make sure that Byers got out with the container, moving the guards away from him. He jumped into the water, and we haven't heard from him since." 

Scully let their words mull over in her head, and instantly paled. Her breath caught in her throat, and she had to fight back the tears that stung her eyes. She should have known he would sacrifice himself, just to make sure the truth made it out alive. 

"If you hear from him, call me. I'll do the same." She said before disconnecting the call. The Gunmen knew she wasn't in the right mind, but didn't want to push her. They would have to keep an eye on her, to make sure she didn't go searching for Mulder. 

Scully began to pace in their bedroom, as much as her pregnant self would allow, and the tears began to fall freely. When she moved away, she thought she left all of this darkness and mayhem behind. It's why she was hesitant to return to DC in the first place. She knew this new conspiracy wasn't Mulder's fault, but he could never truly escape his connections. All of the doubt and apprehensions she ever had came cascading through her, and the anger began to rise. She stopped in her tracks at the sound of the front door opening. She waited until she heard the footsteps climbing the stairs quietly, and began to panic. It wasn't until she saw the familiar figure standing in the doorway that she relaxed slightly. 

"Scully..." He said in an exhausted whisper. He knew by now she would have been notified about his antics, and was more worried about facing her than escaping the dozen guards. 

"Don't Scully me. Dammit, Mulder. It's nearly 3:00 am, and that's the least of your concerns. I had to call the Gunmen, twice, just to hear an update, only to find out that you so selfishly sacrificed yourself as a distraction, just to make sure whatever you found got out safely. You promised me that you wouldn't risk this, and you broke that in at least 10 different ways. I can't believe you would be so senseless to just completely disconnect yourself from the only backup you had." She said with her eyebrow risen to dangerous levels, and her hands firmly perched on her hips. She was exasperated with him, and he knew he was in trouble. 

"I know, it wasn't my finest hour, or 5, but I did what I thought would have the best outcome for everyone. I didn't find any other option to work out for us getting out alive, with our evidence in tow. Scully, I could apologize to you a million times, but it wouldn't make a difference. I know I screwed up, but I needed to do this, for us. I'm sorry, for making you worry and for being careless, I know I told you I wouldn't risk it, but I really thought this would work, and it did." He said in one breath. He knew he had to get it out quickly, before she had a chance to interrupt him. 

She didn't respond, she just stood there, maintaining her stance. She pursed her lips, and fought back the tears that dare escape her eyes. He began to worry at her lack of response, and didn't want to screw this up any more than he already had. 

"Look, it's late, and we are both exhausted, mentally and physically. I'll sleep downstairs, let you have some time, we can talk more tomorrow. Scully I am sorry. I only did this for us, I hope you can understand that." He said carefully as he stepped forward to grab his pillow from the bed. As he walked past her, he leaned in and placed a gentle kiss on her temple. She sighed at the contact, and closed her eyes. "I love you." He whispered into her ear. As much as she wanted to be angry with him right now, she didn't want him away from her any longer than he was tonight. 

"Don't - don't sleep downstairs. I want you to know that I am extremely angry with you, and you have a lot to make up for, but I don't want you away from me anymore tonight." She said sternly. He sighed with relief, and leaned his forehead against hers. She leaned up into his closeness, and placed a gentle kiss on his lips. "I'm still mad at you." 

"I know." He said softly. 

"You were unbelievably crazy and stupid tonight." 

"I know..." 

"I love you." She said, finally catching his gaze. He smiled slightly, and gave her a feather soft, lingering kiss. 

"I know." He whispered into her mouth. She let out a heavy sigh, and stepped away from him. 

"I'll let you get ready for bed, and you should probably call the guys." She said softly. He just nodded, not arguing with anything she said. He knew he was lucky to have her even talking to him right now, and didn't want to give her any reason to change that. 

He called the guys, and made plans for what they recovered. He had never imagined to find what they did, and knew he had to tell Scully, when she was ready. He wanted to let her cool off from the events that transpired that evening, before dropping another bomb on her. He locked up the house, and turned off all the lights before making his way up to their bedroom. When he settled into bed, he knew she was still awake, but was facing away from his side. He leaned over, and placed a small kiss on her cheek wordlessly. 

She tried to feign sleep, but knew he could sense that she was awake. She let out a shaky breath, and turned to face him. He was laying on his back, with his arms stretched out behind his head. She cuddled into his side, resting her head on his chest, and wrapped her arms around his body tightly. He let his arm come down and settle around her waist. 

"I'm still mad at you." She mumbled, slowly succumbing to sleep. He smiled at the top of her head, and tightened his grip on her. 

"I know." 

"Don't ever do that to me again." She whispered just before fully drifting off to sleep. He kept the smile on his face, knowing that as badly as he screwed up, hopefully what he discovered would make up for everything. 

* * *

The rest of the new week went by in a blur, Mulder and Scully avoiding the conversation, and fight, they knew they had to have. They made civil conversations, not ready to argue or discuss what he found at the lab. She was terrified to know what Mulder deemed important enough to risk his life to save. He didn't think she was ready to hear it, and knew that he had to face it head on. That night, after the guys finished running their tests, he had definitive answers to give her. 

"Scully, I think it's time we talk. We both know we've been avoiding this all week." He said gently, muting the TV. They were both settled on the couch, on opposite ends, watching in silence. 

"I'm still exhausted from everything last weekend, and this week, Mulder. Plus, I - I don't know if I'm ready to hear what you have to say." She said in a small whisper. 

"I understand that, and you can be mad at me as much as you want after I tell you this. You said you wanted to be the first to know, especially when it involved our family, and I don't want to keep this from you any longer." 

She furrowed her brow, and just glared at him. She finally let out a heavy sigh and nodded, gesturing for him to continue. 

"We found the lab, that had what they were testing. There were dozens of subjects, all abductees I'm assuming. There were, uh, vials, with names on them, Scully, I -" He paused, willing himself to continue. "I found the other embryo, along with two unfertilized vials. When I discovered them, nothing else mattered to me more than getting those out safely. If I could give you what was taken because of me, I would do anything. So I made a decision, and as careless as it may have been, it was what was most important to me." He finished, letting out a deep sigh. He still hadn't looked at her, after finishing his rant. He could feel her gaze burning into him. 

They sat there in silence, letting the weight of the situation engulf them. She wanted to be angry with him for being so careless in his search for answers, and his persistence to get what he wanted, but she couldn't. She knew in her heart that he did this for them, and this guilty man sitting in front of her was exactly the man she fell in love with in the first place. 

"You know, before, when you would run off on your quests, as much as I worried about you, I never felt it was my place to say anything. Maybe an 'I told you so' every once in a while, but it was never truly my role to withhold you from do something. I knew you wouldn't listen to me anyway." She scoffed, speaking in a whisper. He didn't want to interrupt, since her talking was a small miracle in itself. She licked her lips nervously, gaining courage to continue. "I thought that since we had pushed past that final barrier, things would be different. But I don't think I'd know how to function, if they were. Mulder this, determination and passion, that you have for everything that you do is what made me fall in love with you those few years ago. It's exhausting, and emotionally draining, but I wouldn't trade that quality about you for anything. I just need to know, that you'll always come home." 

"Scully..." He said in a hushed tone, finally glancing up to meet her eyes. He let out a heavy sigh, looking at the unshed tears that illuminated her bright blue eyes. "I will always make my way back to you, that much I can promise. Things are different, I have a family to think about, our family. I wasted too much time letting the important things slip out of my life to jeopardize them now, especially since I have them back." He smiled as he reached to grab her hand. She let hers fall into his willingly, and the small tears began to fall. "I'd like to tell you this was my last truth seeking expedition, but I can't promise you that." He said softly, and she just scoffed with a small smile. 

"I wouldn't let you make that promise to me, knowing already it's bound to be broken." She said with a smirk. He relaxed slightly, knowing she wasn't as angry at him as she was at the situation. 

"You knowing me that well, and still letting me be around, is one of the things I love most about you." He teased at her. She just gave him a small smile, and interlocked their fingers. 

"So what do we do now? I know you have a plan, I can see it in your eyes." 

"I do, and I'm going to have to meet with the smoking bastard to execute it. It's going to take a lot of bluffing to pull off perfectly, but it shouldn't put me in any immediate danger. The next part of this whole thing should be relatively easy if all goes accordingly." 

"How are you going to wager with him? He knows you have the vials, Mulder he could kill you just to get those back, I'm not willing to risk that." 

"Ah, Scully, your lack of faith in me is wounding." He said with a mischievous smile. "We, uh, took placebo vials with us, to replace them. We took extra, not knowing if we would be able to switch them, and it turns out it worked in our favor. If they test it, it has your DNA attached, but nothing they could make an uber Scully from. They shouldn't be able to detect that they don't have the real ones." 

"Beating them at their own game with their own trick?" She said with an arch to her eyebrow. 

"Something like that." He said with a proud smile. She just scoffed at his excitement about the plan and shook her head. 

"Just, be careful. He could still call your bluff, Mulder." She said in a small voice. She just wanted this entire nightmare to be over, and focus on the baby. She was due within weeks, but knew stress could cause an early delivery. 

"I know, and I've thought about that, too. I, uh, was planning to go through Diana. I was hoping that she could call the meeting with him, and arrange it in a somewhat public place." He said carefully. 

"Okay..." She said in a small whisper. 

"Scully, I need to know I have your support on this. It's the only thing that's going to get me through any of this mess." 

"You'll always have me by your side, in every way. I may not be able to physically be there, as much as I would like to, but I'm not going anywhere, Mulder." 

"Thank you. I think I needed to hear that more than I thought." He said, looking down at their intertwined hands. He scooted closer to her, and brought the back of her hand to his lips. She sighed at the action, and gave him a small smile. 

"I'm still going to be mad at you until this is over, and you are home safely." 

"I wouldn't want it any other way." He said with a small chuckle before leaning forward to kiss her. "Guess I better make this quick then." He said before pecking her on the lips again and getting up to retrieve his phone. 

He called the guys and made sure they were ready to trace the call he was about to make, to keep complete track of Diana's movements. He made the call, and tried to mask the fear and worry in his voice. 

"Diana Fowley." 

"Hey, Diana, it's Mulder." 

"Fox, it's good to hear from you. I didn't think I'd be receiving another call." 

"I know, and I'm sorry. I've been thinking, and I'm ready to deal. I need to talk to him." 

"What about the other factors in this?" 

"She doesn't know I'm doing this, I just, need to know what my options are. Can you set up a meeting, or do I need to find another way?" 

"This is a little unexpected, I must say. I am curious as to what changed your mind, but I suppose I can arrange everything. I'll call you back as soon as I know more." She said as she disconnected the call. She was suspicious about his motives, but didn't want to give him any more reason to doubt her. 

"How'd it go?" Scully asked, swallowing the lump in her throat. 

"I guess as good as it could have, given the situation. I just hope she took the bait. Now all I can do is wait for her call back." He said in a small voice. "The guys are tracking her every move, so we should stay one step ahead at all times." 

"Okay. I'm, uh, meeting my mom for dinner, so I should go get ready. Keep me posted, if she calls while I'm gone?" 

"Of course, Scully." He cradled her face in his hands, and they held each other's gaze, speaking nonverbal sentiments with their eyes. He leaned down and placed a chaste kiss on her lips. She nodded, and escaped to their room to change for her dinner. 

They were both tiptoeing around their genuine emotions, tension running high. Scully was attempting to keep her stress level as low as possible, to avoid any further complications in their current plan. She knew dinner with her mom would be the perfect moment to escape from the darkness that clouded her home. 

After she left for her dinner, Mulder's mind was bouncing sporadically in several different directions. Scully's support was necessary for him to maintain his confidence in his plan, and he just hoped he wouldn't disappoint her, again. He was broken from his reverie by the shrill of his phone. 

"Mulder." 

"Fox, it's Diana, I've managed to set up a meeting. If you can make it tonight, he'll meet you." She said as she finished providing the details of the meeting location. "I want you to be careful, I'm worried about you, for you. Don't try anything too risky, no one is possibly worth that." 

"Yeah, you're probably right, thank you for setting it up. I'll be careful." He scoffed before hanging up. He knew he had to play Diana just right so that she wouldn't be too suspicious. His next move was to call Scully, but he didn't want to interrupt her evening. He let out a heavy sigh, knowing he couldn't keep anything more from her, that was riskier than meeting with the Cancerman. 

"Mulder?" 

"Yeah, it's me. I didn't mean to bother you, uh, I just wanted to update you." 

"What's going on?" 

"Nothing, yet. I'm supposed to meet him later tonight. I'll probably be gone by the time you get home, I just wanted to let you know. The guys are already heading there to set up surveillance around the block, so everything should be executed perfectly." 

"Oh...okay. Mulder, be careful, call me as soon as you can." She said in a whisper. She was hoping to be there to send him off, but she couldn't control this situation, as much as she tried. 

"I will, I'll be home tonight." 

"I love you, please be careful." She said choking back her tears. 

"I love you, too. I'll see you later." He said with a promise in his voice. Their anxiety was building and this was the final phase that he needed to get through before they were home free. 

* * *

Mulder made his way to the meeting place, with the boys in his ear, keeping lookout. He needed to finalize everything, and pull this off without a hitch, for Scully. He took a deep breath, and approached the shadowy figure hiding in the dark. 

"Mulder, I can't say that I'm surprised by your call, I see you've finally come to your senses." The Cigarette Smoking Man said smugly. 

"Not exactly, I want to make a deal. You have something I want, and I have something you seem to think you need." Mulder said through gritted teeth, trying to maintain his composure. 

"And what exactly do you think you have that could benefit me?" 

"I'm assuming by now you've been notified about a break-in to your precious lab. What you may not know, is that I took the embryo, only leaving the unfertilized ova. Which, without me, seems to carry no more importance to you." 

"What is it that you're proposing Mr. Mulder?" 

"I'll give you the embryo, to test and poke and do whatever the hell you want to it. You should get your answers from the embryo just as well as you would from our unborn child. When you find there's nothing extraordinary about our child, you'll leave me and my family alone." 

"What makes you think we won't find anything?"

"Because we've already genetic tested the embryo, and there are no unusual outliers. But you can test it yourself." Mulder answered with a sly smirk. He knew giving him the placebo embryo would cause doubt to any inquiries into his research. 

The bastard took a long puff of his cigarette, glaring at Mulder through the smoke. He couldn't figure his game, but didn't want to pass on the opportunity that he was being given. 

"And what is it that I have that you want?" 

"My freedom. You leave me and my family alone. I stopped digging around whatever crooked work you're doing, and I don't want to be indirectly included either. Whatever your plans, you leave me out of them. I will do anything to protect my family, so if you decide to break this little deal, I won't hesitate to pull the trigger." He said with finality. He took his stance, and bore into the Cancerman's soul with his eyes. 

"I can agree to that, we both seem to be walking away with something valuable to us. I'll be in touch if things change." He said before disappearing into the darkness that he crawled out of. 

Mulder let out the breath he was holding in, and made his way back to his car. He sat, mulling over the evening, and heavily exhaled with a sigh of relief. He waited for the Gunmen to confirm that he took the bait, and when he received the call, he smiled to himself. He immediately drove home to share this victory with Scully. 

When he arrived home, he parked next to her car in the driveway, and knew this was their final barrier to break. He walked into the house, and she came strolling in from the kitchen at the sound of his entrance. 

"Hey..." She said in a hushed tone, with a question in her voice. 

He didn't say anything, he just walked towards her and engulfed her into his arms. He enclosed his lips on hers, and melded them together as one. She willingly opened her mouth to him, frantically grabbing at the back of his head to pull him into their embrace deeper. Their breathing began to become shallow, and he pinned her between the wall and his body. He finally broke for air, and rested his forehead against hers, smiling at her disheveled image. 

"I love you. I'm sorry, I've been an idiot. But you can stop being mad at me now." He said teasingly as she let out a small chuckle. She leaned her head back and cradled his face in her hands. 

"It's over?" She asked, searching his eyes for the truth. 

"It's over. We can finally fully enjoy this simple, mundane lifestyle." He teased.

"Oh, I don't know. With you around, it's always an interesting time."

"Well I'm glad you think so, because I wasn't really planning on going anywhere." He said before kissing her again. "God, Scully, I missed you. I missed this. I'm sorry if I ever put any doubt into your mind about us."  

"I never doubted us, Mulder. I forgave you as soon as you got home that night, you just wouldn't learn anything if I let you off that easily." She said with a smirk. "I missed you, too." 

"Lucky for you I don't plan on leaving my extremely pregnant fiance's side for, oh I don't know, the rest of my life." He leered at her. 

"I really don't plan on being pregnant for the rest of my life, or even for very much longer by the looks of it, so you might want to reconsider your notions." 

"We, uh, never really talked about what you want to do, with the other vials." He said as his voice drifted off. 

"I know, I just, I don't know. This in itself was such an unattainable thought for me, that I'm still in disbelief that it's even my reality. The fact that there are more chances for me to have children, your children, it's just tough to wrap my head around."

"Well, I'm glad you were still planning to have my children because I already pulled in a favor and had the ova fertilized so that we could freeze the embryos with the other." He said guiltily. 

"I told you, always an adventure." She said with a raise of her eyebrow as she shook her head at him. 

"Just think, Scully, we could have our own little UFO chasing prodigies." 

"Cute." She said sarcastically. "I think I'm more worried about trying to handle more of you than just the one at a time. I'm already exhausted just thinking about it." She groaned. He just chuckled and kissed the top of her nose. 

"I promise to try to help reign in the Mulder genes that decide to shine through the uber Scullys." He teased. She just laughed and buried her head into his chest. He pulled her in by the hips, and could feel the swell of her stomach resting between them. "Come on, let's get some sleep. Tomorrow is a new day for us, a new start." He said as he stepped apart from her and began to turn off the lights in the house. 

She began to follow and make her way upstairs, before she stopped in her tracks. She looked down and began to panic, before coming to realization of what was happening. 

"Uh, you can definitely say that again." She called out to him in the kitchen. 

"What? Scully, what's wrong?" He asked, noticing the panicked look on her face, disguised by a small smile. 

"Mulder, my water just broke."  


	9. Chapter 9

Mulder had gone for a walk through the halls after Maggie arrived at the hospital. He was pacing nervously, trying to compose his thoughts. He was startled when he saw Skinner walking through the emergency room doors. He approached him with a quizzical look on his face. 

"Skinner, what brings you here this fine evening?" He said sarcastically. 

"Just trying to reign in my most recent headache. It's probably a good thing you're not there anymore, I don't think I could handle two of you." He said lightheartedly. "What injury is bringing you in tonight?" 

"Uh, actually, Scully is in delivery. We're just playing the waiting game at the moment." He smiled sheepishly. 

"Delivery? As in..."

"Yeah, it's a long story." Mulder said with a knowing smile. 

"Well, that definitely explains a few things. Congratulations." Skinner said with an amused grin. They exchanged their parting words, and Mulder glanced back towards the nurses station where whispers were being passed amongst the staff. When they noticed, they separated and appeared busy with work. He chuckled in amusement and shook his head as he made his way back to Scully's room. 

He entered the room slowly, and could overhear Maggie and Scully talking. He knew he shouldn't be listening, but the conversation made him stop in his tracks. 

"There's a chance you could have more children?" He could hear Maggie asking incredulously. 

"Yeah, there were more vials of my ova, so when Mulder found them, he put them away for safety." Scully said in a small voice. 

"I would have thought you'd be more excited about this discovery." 

"I am, I just don't know if that's what I want. I feel bombarded and overwhelmed with everything moving so fast with-" She paused, and exhaled deeply. "Ow, whoo, that was a strong one." 

"They're getting closer together, let me get the nurse and we can get a status update." Maggie said gently as she began to stand from her chair. 

Mulder was broken from his sporadic thoughts at the sound of Maggie moving, and Scully's deep breathing with her contractions. He knocked lightly on the door, to make his entry known. 

"How's it going in here?" He asked cautiously as he approached. 

"Your spawn is being stubborn and refuses to come out." Scully pouted at him as he walked over to her. He suppressed the chuckle forming, and attempted to mask the delighted smile creeping on his face. "It's not funny, Mulder." She said with a raise of the eyebrow. 

"I love you." He said as he leaned down to place a gentle kiss on her temple. She huffed out, and crossed her arms as much as her stomach would allow. 

"Cheap cop out." She said as she tried to hide the smirk touching her lips. "But I love you, too." 

He placed a lingering kiss on her lips just as another contraction hit. She moaned into his mouth before burying her head into the curve of his neck. He gently cradled her head against him, muttering reassuring sentiments in her ear. 

"That was a good one, Scully." He said teasingly, hoping to ease the mood. She scoffed as she situated herself back into a comfortable position.

"This is your fault." She said annoyed, just as the nurse walked in. Mulder let out a sigh of relief. 

"Alright, let's check and see how far along we are. Your mom said the contractions are getting stronger." The nurse said warmly. Maggie situated herself on the other chair on the side of the room, leaving Mulder next to Scully. "Looks like it's almost time, you're dilated just over 9cm, and the baby is in position. I'll let the doctor know." She said excitedly before leaving the room. 

Scully threw her head back against the bed, completely exhausted already, knowing the worst was yet to come. She could feel another contraction coming, and reached out for Mulder's hand. When she glanced over at him, the expression on his face made her breath catch in her throat. She began to ask what was wrong, until she remembered her mom was sitting nearby. 

"Uh, mom, could you see if they can bring me another pillow?" She asked as she licked her lips nervously. Her mother picked up on the tension, and nodded in understanding, making her exit. 

"What's wrong?" She asked with the sound of the door clicking shut. 

"Nothing, I'm fine, Scully." He said genuinely, breaking himself from his thoughts. She arched her eyebrow and glared her eyes at her all too familiar response. He chuckled and shook his head. "Apparently I've been around you too much." He teased. 

"Mulder, I can tell something's wrong, I can see it on your face." 

"I don't know, I guess it's just everything catching up with me, with us. The birth of our child, kinda sets in the reality of everything, you know? I want you to know how happy I am with this, with everything. I don't know, I just need you to know I don't regret anything. Except, maybe that whole disappearing from a secret lab thing." He said in a distant voice. She bit her lip, holding back the grin invading her face. 

"You really need to stop jumping to conclusions after eavesdropping on conversations. It's not good for you." She said with a small smirk. He hung his head guiltily. 

"Sorry, I really didn't mean to. And if this is too much, we can take time with the baby, really settle in. I don't want you to be overwhelmed, I-" He rambled on, halting at the pressure squeezing his hand. "Gee, Scully, I said I was sorry." He said lightly as he rubbed his hand over her protruding stomach. She smiled lovingly at him, knowing this was exactly what she wanted. 

For the past few years, when she pictured her life, there was never a time that she didn't imagine Mulder standing by her side. She knew that it was her own fear putting these doubts in her mind, even though she knew this was exactly what she wanted. But the look in his eyes as he glanced between her and their unborn child erased any lingering apprehensions in her mind. 

"I want to have another baby." She finally said in a small whisper. His head shot up to look at her, searching her eyes for the truth. 

"Scully, I didn't mean - are you sure?" 

"I'm sure." She said with glowing smile. It quickly faded with the next contraction, and the grip on his hand increased again. "Maybe not just right away." She exhaled deeply, relieved when the doctor made her entrance, Maggie following. 

"Looks like it's time to have a baby!" Dr. Mendoza said positively as she approached. 

"I think it's been time." Scully scoffed in response. Mendoza situated herself at the end of the bed, checking on the baby. 

"Well, everything looks good. I'll have daddy and grandma here get themselves in some sterile gowns over their clothes so we can get this baby out." She said with an amused smirk towards Mulder, watching him pale at the word 'daddy.' 

"You alright there, Mulder?" Scully asked with an amused smirk of her own. 

"What - uh, yeah, I'm fin - good. I'm good." He stammered out. She found his nervousness adorable, and mentally put it on the back of her mind, keeping it for teasing purposes later. 

"Alright, now that everyone's good, let's have a baby." Mendoza said teasingly, before smiling brightly, knowing what a miracle this child truly was. 

* * *

Mulder walked into the quiet room slowly, taking a minute to enjoy the view. He loved seeing Scully in these rare, candid moments of bliss, especially when she was holding their daughter. He smiled as he approached her bed, loving everything about this moment. 

"Hey..." She said in a small whisper as she glanced up at his arrival. He had excused himself earlier, sneaking away to grab a present from home. She smiled softly at him before glancing down at his hands. "Is that for me?" 

"Indirectly, yes. It's more for this one here." He said as he situated himself next to her on the bed. She scooted over, just enough to make room for him, before cuddling into his side. 

"So that's it, huh? Have a kid, and nothing's about you anymore." She teased. He smiled, turning her attention towards him by her chin. 

"Your presents are just priceless." He grinned as he leaned in to place a passionate kiss on her lips. Their mouths glided together, as he reached over to cradle the back of her head in his hand. 

"Nice save." She said lingering before his mouth. She placed another quick kiss on his lips. "She's perfect. You make good babies, I'll give you that." 

"Well, I'd like to think I had a hand in this, but she definitely has your coloring, and luckily your nose." 

"She already inherited your stubbornness, I can tell you that right now." 

"You think I'm the only stubborn one in this equation?" He asked sarcastically, she arched her eyebrow and then let out a heavy sigh. 

"You're right, we're so screwed." She said with a small chuckle. 

"And you want to have more." He said teasing as he bumped her shoulder with his. She stiffened, momentarily forgetting about their previous conversation. She knew emotions and hormones were running high earlier, and didn't know if she was ready to fully have that talk. 

"I, uh, yeah." She said hushed, void of any emotions. It was his turn to stiffen at the change in demeanor. 

"I know we haven't really talked about it, I was just teasing. I don't want you to be overwhelmed or feel pressured, we don't have to have this discussion now. I know one of my offspring will be plenty to handle all on their own. I need you to know, I'm happy with everything we have, whether this is it, or you want to add to our unconventional family." He said with genuine sentiment in his voice. She was avoiding his eyes, holding back the tears in her own. 

"Mulder..." She finally said in a small whisper. She sniffled back the emotions flooding through her, regaining her voice. "When I first found out about the opportunity to attempt to have a child, they asked me if I had a donor in mind, and I never even questioned it. I knew you were the only person I wanted with me through this, and if you would have originally declined, I don't know if I would have pursued other options." She paused. 

"Scully, I-" He began to say before she turned to finally face him. He could see the wet, bright blue eyes shining back at him, and knew there was more. He nodded in resignation, implying for her to continue. She licked her lips nervously before finishing. 

"When you said yes, I could only hope that that would mean our own relationship would advance. We never really talked about it, but we also never had the chance to explore the possibilities then. The second time this miracle of a chance came rolling around for me, I was scared. Mostly because we hadn't spoken, and I didn't want to do this alone, at least not without you. I would have never imagined we'd be sitting here in this moment today, but I wouldn't change a thing." She paused, clearing her throat. "Except maybe having another one of your children." She finished in a small whisper. 

He let out a sigh of relief, worried that this conversation was going to take a different direction. They looked lovingly into each other's eyes, knowing that every answer they've ever sought, was in themselves. He wordlessly nodded and cradled her face in his hands. His mouth lingered above hers, and just as his warm lips grazed hers, small muffled sounds brought their attention to the tiny bundle in her arms. 

"She's going to need to learn how to share." He said teasingly as she chuckled. 

"I'm pretty sure that's one of your genes shining through here." 

"Scully, are you implying that I don't like to share?" He feigned being hurt by her accusations. 

"Mulder, I honestly don't know where you want me to even begin with that one." She said as she shook her head at him. "I mean everything I said. I just want you to know."

"I never doubted your words, I know you probably need to say them more for your own benefit than mine, but I do appreciate it all the same." He said as he pecked her on the tip of her nose. "Let's just see how badly this one gets messed up with our parenting skills, and maybe shoot for redemption with the second." 

"I think we'll do just fine." She said with a chuckle as she bumped his shoulder with hers. She let out a lengthy yawn, and he took the baby from her arms. "Wha -"

"You're exhausted, as much as you deny it. Rest for a bit, I'll take over the UFO tales for now." He said jokingly as he chastely kissed her lips. 

"You're already fired from bedtime stories, but you're right, I'm too tired to argue that one right now." She said as she settled herself into the bed more comfortably. He embraced this small, uninterrupted moment of bliss, loving what his life had become. 

As he looked down at his child, their child, he had every answer he's ever needed. He had never imagined himself a family guy, given his upbringing and past. He smiled to himself, knowing it was simply because he had never found the person to put up with him, his best friend. He glanced up from staring lovingly at his daughter in his arms, to direct that same look towards Scully. He was startled when he found her sleepily gazing at him. 

"You're supposed to be sleeping." He said softly, playfully narrowing his eyes at her. 

"Yeah, but this is better." She said with a warm smile. 

He reached out and cradled her hand in his, smiling at their connection. She interlocked their fingers together, and placed their intertwined hands underneath her pillow, finally surrendering to sleep. 

* * *

It had been 2 weeks since the baby was born, and they had settled in nicely after bringing the baby home. They had established somewhat of a routine, but that would soon change with Mulder returning to work. 

"Just call me, if you need anything. I can be home, get the teacher's aide to cover my lectures, give them a bunch of pop quizzes to preoccupy their time, anything." He said flustered as he searched the house for his things. 

"Mulder, calm down. We'll be just fine." She said smoothly as she stood by the front door, cradling the baby in her arms. 

"I'm sorry, I just - this is the first time I'll be gone, away from you two. I don't want you to get overwhelmed, or what if something happens, what if -" His words were cut off by her mouth as he approached the door. He calmed and melted into her embrace, holding her closer by her waist, cuddling the baby between them. 

"Mm, still works." She said with a sly smirk. He exhaled deeply, knowing he was handling this worse than she was. "Go, you're going to be late, _Professor_ Mulder." She leered at him. 

"Scully...that's not fair." He growled into her mouth. She chuckled at his response, enjoying the effect she had on him. 

"Have a good first day back, we'll be here waiting for you when you get home." She stretched up to meet his lips again, placing a lingering kiss on his mouth. 

"I like the sound of that." He said, deepening the kiss. There were indistinct noises coming from between them, and they both chuckled into each other's mouths. "And the sound of that." He said as he turned his attention to the baby. He kissed the baby gently on the forehead, repeating the action with Scully. She chuckled softly as he reluctantly made his way to work. 

When he arrived to his office, there was a card on his desk with a 'congratulations' inscribed on the outside envelope. He picked it up with a puzzled expression on his face, and opened it carefully. He paled at the words scribbled inside, and let the card fall from his hands. 

_Congratulations on your newest addition._

_It seems this child is not what we thought, however you might be of value to us._

_We'll be in touch._

It wasn't signed with anything other than a burn mark from a cigarette. He grabbed his phone right away, calling home in panic. 

"Hello?" Scully answered distractedly. He could hear the baby fussing in the background. 

"Scully, hey it's me. Is everything okay?" He asked casually, trying to mask the worry in his voice. 

"Mulder, are you going to be calling every hour?" 

"I just, uh, wanted to make sure that the first day was going smoothly. Plus, I kinda miss you guys." 

"Well as much as we miss you, too, I will screen your calls if you don't stop calling. Have a good day." She said with amusement in her voice as she hung up the phone. 

He let out a sigh of relief, knowing that they were safe. It was him he needed to be concerned about now. He paced around his office, wondering what benefit he could do for them. He stopped in his stride, realization settling in. He knew they were trying to make some alien hybrid prodigy, and in order to do that, they would need two parents who have been exposed to the black oil, or in Scully's case, had the alien implant. They needed him for one half of the equation, and with concocting them a fake embryo from Scully's DNA, removing her from the running, they would need another. He exhaled deeply as more revelations ran through his mind. 

Diana. She would have willingly put herself at that risk to not only please her bosses, but have an opportunity to have his child. 

He pulled out his phone to make the next call he knew was necessary. As the phone rang in his ear, he had a sudden feeling of guilt flush through him, knowing he was already jumping into action without talking to Scully. He let out a shaky breath, already thinking of ways to apologize. 

"Diana Fowley." 

"Hey, it's Mulder. I think it's time we talk." 

"Fox, I wasn't expecting to hear from you. What can I do for you?" 

"Let's cut the crap, I've figured out their little plan, and I know you're just a pawn in this whole mess. Mind enlightening me when I should expect a visit from your boss?" 

"I - I don't know what you're getting at. I'm actually very busy, I'll call you back later." 

"You know what, don't bother. You can also let them know they should have thought about every possible outcome of this, because they're not getting anything from me, I'll make sure of it." He scoffed as he slammed his phone shut. He closed his eyes in frustration as an idea popped in his head. He picked up the phone to make the next call, thinking of more ways to apologize to Scully as he put his plans into action. 

* * *

He arrived to the house later that night, already calling Scully to tell him he had to take care of something on his way home. He had his teacher's aide take over his last lecture, and made his way to run his errand. He had called Byers to come pick him up from his location and drive him home, having Frohike follow in his car. He stood on the front step of the house, afraid to open the door. 

"Well, based on the fear radiating from you, I take it you didn't tell Scully about your genius plan." Frohike said in an amused voice. Byers shook his head in response, already knowing what Mulder was walking into. 

"I, uh, never really got the chance. But, she'll understand, right?" Mulder said, more to himself than taking a consensus of the small group. They shook their heads at him wordlessly and made their way back to their van, leaving him to fight his own battles, alone. 

Mulder opened the door cautiously, trying to mask the slight pain he was in, and the fear in his eyes. Facing Scully was definitely more terrifying than the possibility of being kidnapped and used against his will. 

"Scully?" He called out quietly, in case the baby was sleeping. He crept into the kitchen, grabbing a bag of frozen veggies from the freezer. He walked slowly to the couch, sitting down gently, applying the frozen bag to his area of pain. He threw his head back and closed his eyes for a few minutes before feeling arms wrap around his shoulders from behind. He smiled at the simple gesture, enjoying this moment before he ruined it. 

"I would ask how your day was, but I'm afraid to ask. Mulder, why do you have a bag of frozen vegetables on your crotch?" She asked pointedly. 

"We, uh, should probably talk about that." He said sheepishly. He patted the couch next to him, implying for her to sit next to him. She walked from around the couch slowly, eyebrow rising with each step. 

"And what exactly are we discussing?" 

"Okay, before you get mad, just know that what I did, I did for our family. I know I know, that excuse has been outplayed, but it's the truth." He let out a heavy sigh, urging himself to continue. "When I arrived at work today, there was a note from Cancer Man. There weren't many details to it, but I think I've been fighting them long enough to figure out what their plan is. All it said was that the baby isn't what they thought it would be, but I could be used to help them. I panicked, Scully. I, uh, couldn't let them use me like that, to create their own alien super child, so I, uh, went and got a vasectomy after my middle class." He finished all in one breath. He was scared to look at her, feeling her glare burning into the side of his face. 

"You didn't think to call for, oh, any part of this?" She said accusingly. He winced at the tone in her voice. 

"Scully, everything happened so fast, and after I talked to Diana, it just confirmed my suspicions. I just, kind of, jumped into action. I'm sorry, I-" He closed his mouth at the look on her face. 

"So, you managed to call Diana, your doctor, and whoever drove you home, I'm assuming the Gunmen?" She spat as he nodded in agreement. "Right, everyone but me, once again. Mulder, it's different now. You can't keep doing this. Especially something as permanent as a vasectomy! You don't even know if we-" She paused, realizing she was letting her own fears come out in her words. She broke eye contact with him, looking down at her hands. She wet her lips nervously. "I just mean, it's something we should have talked about." 

"Having doubts there Scully?" He asked annoyed, turning the tension on her. 

"Don't change the subject, Mulder."

"Look, I'm sorry I didn't call you sooner, but I'm not sorry that I did it. I don't know how you feel, but I'd like to think being engaged means that I don't plan on sharing my sperm with anyone else. Considering the other embryos are already fertilized and ready to go, I figured it wouldn't really make a difference to us. Sorry if I misread that." He said, annoyance rising. 

"No, that's not what-" 

"It's fine, Scully. I guess I know where we stand. Again, I'm sorry I didn't call you before I made this decision." He said as he got up and went to his office. She closed her eyes, knowing she was letting her own fears take over her thoughts, but still feeling angry at being excluded, again. 

She made her way upstairs to check on the baby, finding a small moment of bliss in such a tiny person. She caressed the baby's silky cheek with her finger in feather soft strokes, feeling the contentedness absorb her. She was broken from her warm thoughts at the reminder of the fight she was currently in with Mulder. She let out a heavy sigh, fighting back the tears that threatened her eyes. It had been almost an hour since he holed himself up in his office, and she was worried that she had pushed him too far this time, since he hadn't crept up to make another apology. 

She started getting ready for bed, hoping to sleep for a few hours before the baby woke up again. After 30 more minutes, there was still no word from Mulder, and her nerves began to take over. She tossed and turned until she heard the baby start to stir, and made her way back into the nursery. She fed and changed the baby, holding her in her arms for the feeling of security. Scully placed the baby back in the crib, and silently made her way back downstairs. As she approached the office, she could see Mulder laying on the couch on his back with his arm stretched out behind his head. Her heart sank, knowing it was her own fault for him resting here and not beside her in bed. 

She crept closer to him and removed the papers he had strewn around him on the couch. As she organized his stack, with her back to the couch, she didn't see him open his eyes. He smiled to himself and reached out to grab her by the waist, pulling her down on the couch, trapping her between him and the cushions. He turned to face her and wrapped her tightly in his arms, snuggling his face into the crook of her neck. 

"Mulder!" She chuckled lightly as she yelped at the sudden move. She smiled to herself, relieved she hadn't ruined this as badly as she originally feared. 

"I'm sorry." He said in a rough voice as he snuggled in closer. 

"I know. I'm sorry, too. I didn't mean, what I said, I didn't-" She began to stammer. He enclosed his lips on hers and she melted into his embrace. She brought her hand up to cradle his face, deepening the kiss. 

"I know." He said into her mouth. She nodded, both understanding the apology the other was making. 

"You still should have talked to me." She said, standing her ground.

"Would you have objected if I would have told you the plan before?"

"No, I don't think so. I know you did it for you, for us. Do you think that'll really stop them though?"

"Scully, if they can't get what they want from me, there's no reason for them to come around us anymore. The only ounce of Mulder DNA left is mixed with yours, safely secured for only our future use." 

"And when do you plan on breaking the news to them?" 

"I already sent Diana a copy of my procedure release papers." He said with a proud grin. She chuckled and shook her head, eyes shining at him. 

"I guess I can't be that mad, you really did think of everything." 

"I didn't go into this lightly, it just seemed like the least stupid of all the other plans mulling around in my head. You should be proud, really." 

"You're stubborn, and exhausting, but that's exactly everything I love about you." She said with another chaste kiss on his lips. "Come on, let's go to bed while the spawn sleeps." She said as she untangled herself from his embrace.

They made their way upstairs, just in time to hear the muffled sounds of the baby. She let out a tired sigh, making her way to the other room. He grabbed her hand, stopping her in her actions.

"You go to bed, I'll grab her."

"Mulder, I don't think you have the right utilities to handle the feeding, but thanks for the effort."

"Ha ha, Scully. I was planning to bring the offspring to you, and use the basinet. I want to spend the night with all of my family together, it's been a long day." He pecked her on the lips, and she nodded in resignation, making her way to their bedroom.

He crept into the nursery, picking up the baby to cradle her in his arms.

"Hey now, none of that." He cooed at her. He carried her into their room, smiling at Scully waiting expectantly. He handed the baby to her, settling himself beside them. His eyes gleamed at the serene glow that Scully had radiating from her, reveling in this moment. 

"You're staring, Mulder." She said with a sly smile, not meeting his eyes.

"I'm just trying to figure out what alternate universe I slipped into to have such a perfect family." 

"Always one for those extreme possibilities, huh?" She said as she smirked at him. 

"What can I say, Scully? This was a pretty unimaginable outcome for my life if you asked me. Not that I'm complaining." 

"Well, with endearing sentiments like that, it's no wonder you didn't have women just falling at your feet sooner." She said sarcastically. She finished feeding the baby, and laid her in the basinet. Scully made her way back to bed, cuddling into Mulder's side. 

"She really is perfect, you know." He said quietly. 

"Yeah, we didn't do so bad. But, uh, I wouldn't mind trying for another one." 

"Scully, you're sure?" 

"I am. I've been thinking about it a lot, and if there's a chance, I would want to take it, with you." 

"Well that's a relief, because I was kind of comfortable here, so I wasn't planning on leaving, and things could have just gotten really awkward." He joked as she playfully swatted his chest. He chuckled and pulled her tighter into his embrace. 

"I need you to know, that I've never been more sure about anything in my life. What I said earlier, or began to, it had nothing to do with you. I just, don't know how to always express how I feel. It wasn't that I doubted us, it was more just my fear of something else going wrong that shadowed everything I knew was right. I love you." She said quietly, slowly turning her face up to meet his eyes. 

"Yeah, you're not so bad yourself." He said with a wide grin, leaning down to capture her in a kiss, sealing their sentiments between them. "I think I'll keep you." 

"Yeah, yeah. Oh, hey...I filed the final papers for the birth certificate, I forgot to mention it to you." 

"So you decided on the middle name?" 

"Yeah, I think you'll like it, too." She said in a small whisper. 

"Well come on Scully, don't make me guess, I suck at this game." He said with the sad puppy pout she couldn't resist. She chuckled and stretched up to meet his face, letting hers linger just before his lips. She smiled and whispered into his agape mouth. 

"Missy Samantha Mulder...our miracle." 


End file.
